Snapshots 2: High School Graduation
by Azurevi
Summary: Here is the second in the snapshots series, the 3RD story, read them in order. It's HS graduation and life is almost normal with the Chlerek and the gang, the only one who's not content is Simon and Chloe and Derek are determined to find out why.
1. Chapter 1

One more quick vote guys, I'm planning on keeping this story T so do you want me to skip racy fluff all together instead of doing those super annoying fade-outs or keep Derek and Chloe's relationship on the edge of being sexual but not quite there yet? It's set about a year after What Binds Them so they might have already crossed that line but knowing Chlerek they also would have no trouble finding other creative ways to stay at 3rd base without the home-run. Any other suggestions are welcome. The reason I'm keeping it T is because the focus of this story is mostly on Simon, not Chlerek, but the votes were resoundingly Derek, Chloe and Jeremy's POV's so this could get pretty interesting.

* * *

"Hey I really like saying 'NO' to you, could you ask again?" Chloe put her hands on her hips and batted her eyelashes sarcastically at some guy who grinned at her like she'd just said '_OMG I totally want to go to the dance with you!_'

Her fine arts school had a party the night before graduation, a big send-off and apparently who you went with was a mark of social status. The fact that Chloe had changed so much in so little time was not lost on the social elite.

She dressed the same as ever, some hundreds of dollars pair of jeans, sneakers and a yellow shirt that said "bite me," a gift from Simon of course. But whatever remnants of her stutter had fallen away completely in public and her self-confidence had sky-rocketed—that can happen when you know you can send all the corpses in a five mile radius after the cheerleading squad while your boyfriend single-handedly takes out the football team.

She hadn't seen me yet, I was back home early (breaking the majority of the speed limits) and wanted to surprise her. If I stayed across the parking lot then she wouldn't feel me unless she was concentrating. I leaned back against the hood of the car Jeremy leant me and waited, watching the show.

"Come on Saunders, it'd be fun. Jack and Gwen are gonna get Gwen's sister to buy a handle of vodka, you can get the limo and I'll book the hotel."

I told my feet to stay rooted to the spot, to be cement blocks and let her handle this. I also had to swallow a reflexive growl as this presumptuous jerk put his hand on the wall above Chloe's head and leaned closer than I liked. Of course, right now anywhere in the state was closer than I wanted this guy to Chloe.

"That sounds great, I'll just get tanked, ride around in a car that **I** paid for and go to a hotel room with three people I don't know." If sarcasm was art, Chloe was Picasso.

"Don't worry about that, it doesn't have to be the four of us, it can just be the two of us." He moved closer and my control bent to the breaking point, this guy needed to be taught a lesson.

"_I. HAVE. A. BOYFRIEND._" Chloe enunciated slowly and carefully, to make sure he understood the words.

He just smirked. "Riiight, the guy who doesn't go here."

I let go of the careful leash I'd kept on my power and it whipped out to Chloe, washing over her like a wave. She spun to see me and I smiled. She smiled back, knowing I'd heard the conversation.

"You see that guy standing over there? Tall, dark and handsome, looks like he could snap you in half and throw the pieces into Canada?" She steered her pest around and pointed me out.

I waved and his eyes widened.

"That's Derek. I'm in love with him. So get over yourself and back off." She skipped down the steps and ran across the parking lot, leaving him gaping.

At the last minute she jumped, trusting me to catch her as she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. I forgot about the douche, I forgot where we were, I forgot about breathing; this happened when we'd been apart for a while.

"You're home early." She grinned and I set her on her feet, keeping my hands around her waist.

"Looks like I got here right on time." I smiled back and brushed her hair out of her face. "Want me to go snap him in half and throw the pieces into Canada?"

"Nah, I think snapping his ego in half is more than sufficient." She laced her fingers with mine. "I was just coming out to grab a few things from my car, want to come retrieve Simon with me?"

As we talked we'd walked over to her shiny Suzuki SX4—a belated sixteenth birthday/thank-god-you're-alive present from her dad. It was a model that we'd compromised on, the safety ratings were good enough for me and the four-wheel drive was a must for driving out to Stonehaven, and it had enough room to fit all of Chloe's film equipment AND lights and audio gear. She got her back-up gear bag with extra tapes, firewires, and other techie things.

"He's almost done with the final draft of his senior showpiece, it's really pretty amazing." Chloe said, leading me into the school.

Simon had transferred into Chloe's art school since they were in the same year. We could have all been together but Chloe insisted that I do my best academically, rather than the bare minimum just so I could stay around her. I crammed and graduated early and now I only had a few days of classes a week at the community college, two of which I was the TA for, Physics of Light and calculus. I'd already taken AP calc in high school but there weren't any math courses I hadn't taken at the college and I didn't want to get rusty so I helped out with the classes twice a week, explaining mathematical theories to kids who only used math to figure out sale prices. Fun.

We walked into a well-lit room full of easels and light boards, only a few of which were occupied by haggard-looking seniors.

"Hey." Simon said in greeting when we got within his line of vision. "You're here early."

"Actually he's right on time, I don't think I'll be having any more trouble from Dan Justi." She grinned and her fingers tightened around mine.

"Ah, pulled the old 'tall, dark and intimidating' routine did we?" Simon managed a tired smile. "Man I would have liked to see his face."

"Fairly epic. Show Derek what you've been working on." She tugged me closer the light board and I put my arm around her, feeling her fit perfectly against my body.

Simon had continued working on the graphic journal when he started at Chloe's school. They combined projects, her screenplay from Film and Theater Screenwriting and his 2D art class. After they'd completed the rough draft Simon colored the first few pages of the story and was now heavily shading the rest with black ink. He planned on using the comic for his senior showcase and since representatives from almost every art school he'd applied to would be there, he'd been a _little_ stressed.

He altered us enough so it wasn't completely obvious who we were and had had to present both the graphic novel and the finalized screenplay to the Interracial Counsel. They had edited and vetoed but kept it mostly intact, deciding that the exposure risk was about as high as any other comic book about kids with superpowers, and there were quite a few of those. Paige Winterbourne, the only representative of the counsel that could really throw her weight around, had somehow gotten a Cabal CEO to review and OK the edited script so it was as kosher as was possible.

There were twelve 15" X 30" pages and Simon had finished all but one, and that one only needed the last fine-tipped ink detailing. But with the deadline in less than twenty four hours he was still running on high-stress. Chloe's senior project was on her powerbook so she could take it home without any trouble and edit there. But Simon was working exclusively at school for fear of something spilling onto his pages or them getting rained on, etc.

The comic covered our first week in Lyle house up to when we decide to run away. He had our characters meet, Linus—a young wizard with a love for movies and wanted to be a director, Lauren—the first character you meet and a math and science genius who could see ghosts and raise the dead (Paige made Simon replace the word "necromancer" with "spirit conduit"), and Ezekiel—an aspiring artist who was bitten by a werewolf as a child.

On the first page "Lauren" goes to visit her friend in a "home for troubled youth" and while there incurs the wrath of Tiffany, a girl with serious anger issues and antisocial personality disorder. On the fifth page Tiffany lures her into the basement where she hits her with a brick and drags her under the house, binding and gagging her. Lauren wakes up with a zombie crawling on her. Simon used a whole page to ink the grisly image, the grotesque decomposing corpse pulling itself up Lauren's leg and her eyes wild with terror as she writhed to get away from it. Naturally the werewolf hears her as he sketches in the library and goes down to rescue her.

Simon's teacher had originally dismissed the idea for the comic as being too unbelievable and he'd only grudgingly agreed to a rough sketch after reading Chloe's screenplay. Now he raved about Simon's originality and "gritty but elegant" artistic style.

I leaned down and studied the panel. In it Lauren was communicating with the spirits of people murdered at the house, her dark eyes fixed intensely on something the reader couldn't see and Ezekiel stood by as back-up, his light hair mussed from being dragged out of bed for the séance. Other than swapping everyone's hair and eye color Simon kept our basic bone-structure and body types the same and if you were really looking you could see Chloe's necklace peeking out from under 'Lauren's' shirt.

"Beautifully done as always Simon." Chloe ruffled his hair, making the overgrown spikes stick out in unorthodox directions. "Almost ready to go?"

Simon sighed and stretched, cracking his joints. "Please get me out of here stat. I'm going crazy from all the ink fumes."

As far as I knew, ink didn't really have fumes but I couldn't argue since to my nose everything had a scent.

"We'll swing by a pita stand or something on our way home. Come on." She gently guided Simon out of his chair and handed him off to me where he overdramatically swayed.

"Must… finish…" He reached faintly back and we steered him out of the room.

"You've got all day tomorrow to finish that last panel and frame all the others, you'll be fine." Chloe stopped at her locker and grabbed her backpack and laptop case. "I'm the one who has to render and compress the whole video tonight."

"Oh that reminds me, Jeremy and Elena are both planning on coming." I told Chloe, keeping my hands on Simon's shoulders and propelling him out the school doors. "Jeremy says he's looking forward to see both of your pieces." I directed this at Simon.

"No pressure. Just the alpha of the North American werewolf pack." Simon muttered under his breath.

"And the Alpha Select." Chloe piped up cheerfully.

Chloe's senior project was a kind of documentary collage (her words, not mine) about her family, all of us. This included Simon, Kit, Tori, the whole Pack, Jaime Vegas, and her dad. She spent the last six months filming, since a lot of the footage was at Stonehaven both Jeremy and Elena had reviewed the footage with Chloe, editing out any clips of superhuman strength or blatantly werewolfy things. Likewise she'd made sure Jaime got a chance to review the footage of herself. I'd been at several of the film shoots but Chloe had kept me from seeing any of the edited work.

"How about you and Simon go get us some take-out and I'll get my equipment home?" Chloe hated leaving any of her film equipment in the car and I nodded understandingly. "Great, pick me up something warm and soup-like. Ooh and a dark bubbly caffeinated drink."

I opened the passenger side door of my borrowed car and plunked Simon inside.

"Woah. Nice wheels." He said when I got into the driver's seat.

"It's one of Clay's older cars." I said by way of explanation.

"Ah."

Clay liked fast cars, he argued that the traffic laws were set up by humans for humans and since he was not a human he shouldn't have to follow them. Unfortunately the law didn't agree with him, but he had a point. Werewolves have faster reflexes and therefore can safely drive faster than humans. So Clay had a lot of nice, fast cars around.

This month he was letting me borrow the 2003 maserati coupe and I definitely had a crush on it. The engine purred as we pulled out and Simon smiled at a group of girls whose eyes were fixed on the car.

It was good to see Simon smile, he hadn't really flirted with girls since meeting Savannah the year before. She had been the epitome of a 'bad girl' stereotype, her mother was a dark witch, her father was the son of a Cabal CEO and a sorcerer, she had a motorcycle and had a strong, dominant personality. She'd flirted a little with Simon, took his cell number and never called or even told Paige to say hi when she saw us.

That combined with the unexpected rejection from Chloe had put him on girl-hiatus. He hadn't dated in over a year and half—and two weeks had been the longest he'd gone single since he was twelve. When either Chloe or I asked him about it he'd blamed being behind in school from all the time he'd missed academically and how that and his senior project left him no free time for dating. Considering that I'd seen him juggle two girls—best friends who decided sharing him was better than neither or only one of them having him—take a small-town basketball team to the finals, and keep a 3.4 GPA, this was a bullshit excuse.

I suspected it had a lot to do with my relationship with Chloe. I didn't think Simon was still romantically interested in Chloe but it seemed hard for him to spend time with a girl who only saw him as a social trophy when Chloe and I had both killed for each other.

"How are the twins?" Simon asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Fine, Clay's been teaching them basic stalking techniques. He tells them to follow Elena around the house and she in turn has been teaching them basic fighting skills by telling them to go kick Clay in the shins."

Simon laughed. "Sounds pretty entertaining. How was the meeting?"

He meant the Interracial Counsel meeting. Elena had been making me tag along with her or Jeremy, whoever was representing the werewolves that month. On my free days and every other weekend I'd been driving to Stonehaven and learning about werewolf history from Elena, Pack law and social structure from Jeremy and fighting from Clay. I'd gone from having no werewolf teachers to having three but spent the most time with Jeremy.

"Boring, the other supernaturals still don't know how to react to The Pack and so mostly ignore us which is a disastrous approach with Elena. She's talking with Paige about setting up a hotline for supernatural youth though and that's going to be really successful if it works." I paused, dismissing everything else at the meeting as unimportant. "How were things at home?" I asked. Leaving Chloe behind was definitely the hardest part about commuting to Stonehaven, luckily the drive was only an hour and a half long (the way I drove).

"Same old, Chloe was all mopey but has been so focused on her senior project that she doesn't really have time to pine. Dad's been super busy so we barely see him."

Chloe had been living with us whenever her father left town on business, so about 90% of the time. Since her dad insisted on paying rent and Paige had wanted a safe place for supernatural counsel representatives or displaced supernatural youth to stay in New York we'd ended up in a house nicer and more permanent than anything me, Simon or dad had ever lived in.

Our first real home.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey kids, I just wanted to let you guys know that there is a character of mine that I'm introducing in this story. I usually try not to use characters that don't exist outside of the series but just couldn't find any character in KA's books that could fit into the role that I wanted filled. So I hope she's believable and serves to deepen the qualities of the preexisting characters. Just a heads up.

Also, it's not that I don't love you all anymore, I've just been super busy and will do a super personalized long AN at the end of the third chapter. The reviews have been awesome and amazing and it's been so exciting to see so many people reviewing who are usually quiet, keep telling me what you like and I'll try to put more of it in!

* * *

I kicked off my sneakers and stretched out on my awesome queen-sized bed, sinking into the fluffy comforter and stack of pillows. It was always so much easier to relax when I knew Derek was home. Neither of us were very good at talking on the phone and saw emails and text messages as mostly pointless since we'd only be apart for a few days anyway. So other than the nightly check-in message, usually something like;

**Home in 2 days, 'night.**

I hadn't really talked to him and missed my best friend. I'd missed hearing his voice around the house, that deep chuckle that made my heart skip and kisses… I missed kisses a lot, and cuddling.

It was ironic that being in this house with the boys and Kit felt more like a home than any of the fancy apartments I'd lived in with dad. My bedroom and the main bathroom were on the second story, on the opposite side of the house from the boys' bedroom, which was the master room with the smaller bathroom attached. Naturally Kit's room was in between the two, facing the stairs.

This was more for show than anything, all of us knew that Derek didn't make any noise so if he wanted to sneak into my room it would be easy. His dad could have set up perimeter spells and illusions like hellhounds in my doorway but he didn't. He knew that Derek and I were essentially bonded for life and that Derek was the most respectful and cautious eighteen-year-old boy in existence so we didn't hide the fact that Derek slept in my bed when he was home.

It had been a little weird at first but sleeping in puppy piles was a werewolf thing and Derek got twitchy and checked on me three times a night anyway so we'd just ended up compromising by leaving my door partway open. Derek had actually been the one who insisted on propriety for so long. Kit didn't care, he trusted us, Simon liked having a room to himself and I slept better with a two-hundred plus pound werewolf wrapped around me. It was hard to feel unsafe when the most dangerous thing in the city was cuddling with you at night.

Speaking of which... I heard an expensive-sounding engine cut off and two doors slam as the boys got home.

I quickly swapped my school clothes for yoga pants and a tank top and raced downstairs. The house was big, two stories with a huge kitchen, living room, dining room, sunroom/greenhouse and parlor. I didn't even know what you were really supposed to use a parlor for and we'd just turned it into a home office for Kit. Where the back porch would be on a normal house was a long narrow sunroom that stretched across the whole length of the downstairs, half of which had been converted into a studio for Simon with an airtight divider between it and the small greenhouse. I thought it was silly to put the driest room attached to the most humid but Simon wanted the natural lighting and insisted. There was a small partial third story with only two small bedrooms that we'd converted into an editing and computer room for me and Tori and a miniature laboratory for Derek.

It really was a dream home for the four of us, The Pack had even built a shed with attached outdoor shower for when they visited. We'd had to find the biggest doggie door at Petsmart but it was totally worth it. Our house was also backed by a stretch of woods that had been declared by the city to be a miniature wildlife preserve for some kind of endangered grasshopper that I was pretty sure Clay and Derek had just made up.

The guest house in the back had been built by the Interracial Counsel for visiting delegates and it doubled as a room for Tori when she came home from MIT on holidays. I think she enjoyed the family she'd inadvertently inherited but Tori just wasn't the family-bonding type and didn't like shared bathrooms. I'd offered to share my bedroom with her, I owed her big-time for helping me with a video I'd made the year before, but she liked having her space.

In the video I'd killed a rogue werewolf in a really horrible way so that no others would bother us and Derek had helped. Tori filmed it and encrypted it with a virus after I realized that sending our enemies proof of us killing someone wasn't the brightest idea I'd ever had. Besides the flash drive I'd hidden under the floorboards, the only real copies of the video were at Stonehaven and a safety deposit box in Portland with Paige, all the others that had been sent electronically to all the known Mutts had Tori's virus that corrupted the file immediately after viewing.

The video not only protected me and Derek but also any of our family members from attack so Tori had done the encryption with no strings attached since she benefited from it as well. After that, after seeing how far me and Derek were willing to go to protect our family—which included her—she'd been tolerable to the point where sometimes I even considered her my friend, instead of just my almost partial sister-in-law.

"What'd you bring me?" I jumped up and down as soon as the boys came in the front door.

Derek smiled when he saw me and passed me the smallest paper bag in his collection. We went into the kitchen, which was separated from the dining room by a long counter with bar stools that we used more often than the dining table.

I opened up my soup container and cream of potatoey goodness wafted up. Simon slid over a Styrofoam cup which turned out to be a root beer float. I let crocodile tears well up in my eyes as I looked at the two of them, identical smug grins on their faces.

"You two are… just…" I sniffled and dramatically wiped at my eyes. "You're more than any girl could ask for!" I draped my arms around their necks and hugged them.

"Told you she'd like the float." Simon said with laugh.

"Ridiculous." Derek mumbled, shaking his head.

"Okay so tell me how your trip went." I sat down, hooking a stool out from under the counter with my foot for Derek.

"Good." He pulled a stack of burgers out of the biggest bag, pushing the medium-sized ones to Simon. "Elena's really excited about your video."

I stole one of his fries and he narrowed his eyes at me with a mock-growl.

"Awesome, that makes my seat count…" I tallied up all my guests in my head. The four of us, Tori, Jaime, Jeremy, Elena, and dad. "Nine. Good, I went ahead and reserved ten just in case so that works out perfectly. Oh! I can give my extra seat to Haven!" I exclaimed, thinking of my friend in editing class who'd done the audio of my senior project as a part of her own senior piece, chopping and engineering the audio clips to match up with the documentary perfectly. "She's in the music department and she's going to DJ the second half of the party as most of her senior project."

"Sounds like a cool chick." Simon said around a mouthful of burger.

I nodded slowly, giving Simon a glance then looking away before he caught the calculating look on my face. Haven was cool, she wasn't particularly pretty and usually wore somewhat frumpy clothes but she was funny and really nice, two qualities that Simon needed to see more of outside the family.

Derek caught my chin and made me look at him; narrowed eyes searching mine, obviously having glimpsed my scheming thoughts in my face or posture. I opened my eyes wide, looking like Bambi dipped in glittery innocent sparkles. He didn't buy it for a minute.

"Nice car." Someone called from the entryway and Kit kicked off his shoes on his way down the hall and into the kitchen. "There'd better be a double jalapeno cheeseburger if those bags are from Fat Bob's." He glared until Simon produced a big paper-wrapped bundle of cheesy spicy burger. "Who needs a wife when I've got you guys?" Kit grinned and dragged a bar stool around so he could sit on the opposite side of the counter and face all of us.

"How's the case?" Derek asked, unwrapping his third burger.

Kit shook his head. "Not good, and the Cabal's won't get involved because it'll look too suspicious. But the Cortez's did pull some strings to get a group of grad students on our research and policy team."

Kit was only one of a group of supernatural's who tried to help others from our world when they got in trouble with the human government. Usually the Cabals cleaned up before the local police got involved but in Chris Blakeman's case he'd fallen through the cracks. Blakeman was a sorcerer who'd grown up with the human grandparents on his mother's side when his parents died in a car crash. When his powers started really showing when he was twelve his grandparents did the only thing they could think of, sent him to therapy and a psychiatrist. Unfortunately being a supernatural meant that Blakeman's brain was wired a little differently than a normal twelve-year-old kid's and when he was prescribed an anti-depressant… the results weren't pretty. The combination of new chemicals being produced by his brain and his natural magic had been explosive, literally, and he accidently caused the deaths of his grandparents. Even worse, in New York a juvenile who is thirteen, fourteen or fifteen years old can be tried as an adult in criminal court and the lawyers on the other side were pushing for the same treatment for Blakeman even though he had been twelve at the time.

In short, Kit was working a ton and not getting much appreciation for 'defending a monster.' He usually came home exhausted and sad so we all had been doing the housework and doing our best to make him laugh when he was home.

"I've always wondered how Fat Bob's makes such a perfect ice cream float." I mused idly, pushing the cup across the counter for Kit to try. "They don't have a ton of foam at the top but the soda is still bubbly."

Kit smiled, knowing our make-dad-laugh master plan by heart now. "I'm sure Dare can figure it out."

Derek reached for the cup but I swatted at his hand. "No! If he goes all Bill Nye on it then all the magic will be lost."

Simon grinned, it was the same smile as ever but there were still traces of tightness around his eyes, as there had been for the last year. "Sure but if you volunteer to be a guinea pig then you get to drink like a dozen floats."

Kit smiled then, and it touched his eyes, unlike Simon's smile. Both Derek and I had been worried about Simon for awhile, he'd been quieter after the incident on the camping trip, smiling less and not as genuinely when he did.

After dinner and a few rounds of Soul Caliber 4 we got ready for bed. As it got warmer out I'd exchanged my long flannel jammies for linen shorts and a cotton t-shirt. Derek had started wearing light pajama pants to make his dad more comfortable—not that Kit had really cared but pants just seemed less intimate than shorts.

With my teeth brushed and face washed I collapsed into the fluffy comforter face-first, earning a chuckle from the doorway.

"Ooo affeh" I actually said 'so happy' but the pillow and mouthful of comforter muffled my words and got me another laugh.

"Move over bed-hog." Derek turned off the light and flopped down next to me.

I tilted my head until I could see him, just a dark silhouette with green eyes. "Missed you." I managed to get enough of my mouth out of the blanket to speak coherently.

Derek pushed me on my side of the bed before curving his body around mine. He may have been twice as big as me but when I was asleep I could magically take up the vast majority of bed space.

"How are you feeling about your show tomorrow?" He asked, lowering his voice so it was mostly just a vibration in his chest under my cheek.

"Good, bad, exhilarated, terrified." I paused with a frustrated sigh. "I can't wait to get away from this school though."

"Drugs again?" Derek's voice took on an exasperated edge. There'd been three raids this year alone, unfortunately a high-performance school like ours kids got stressed out and turned to drugs for help. Both prescription and non-prescription, Ritalin, Adderall and Concerta were just a few of the prescription stimulants that you could buy in any of the bathrooms or locker rooms. Then there was the illegal stuff, cocaine and pot were the two main recreational drugs floating around—coke for energy when meds weren't around and weed to relax after taking so many stimulants.

The FDA and FBI had been getting stricter about medications since cases like Chris Blakeman's started becoming more and more prevalent. Kids all over the country suddenly started having violent reactions to prescription drugs when they had no history of the illness that the medication was supposed to treat. The schools and government had responded by dramatically increasing the number of locker searches and drug tests which did little more than seriously cut into the time we had to complete projects and homework, which made kids more stressed, which made them take more drugs which made… you get the picture.

"I just wish someone would find whatever doctor is being suckered into writing all these prescriptions. They can't stop filling the prescriptions at the pharmacies without knowing which are for drug suppliers and which are for kids with actual ADD." I grumbled, it was a situation we'd discussed many times, one that I'd been more angry with after Derek explained how ADD worked. I'd always thought it was just an excuse for parents to medicate their hyper kids but ADD was actually a medical condition where blood flow was insufficient in the frontal lobe of the brain, cutting off access to the parts that controlled focus and memory.

I shook my head sharply, trying to ignore the shitty situation at school and focus on the half-dressed man in my bed. I gave him a sly glance. "I could definitely use a distraction."

"Chloe…" He said in a warning tone, knowing what was coming.

I brushed my lips against his chest, dragging my fingernails lightly up from his hip to his ribs before he caught my wrist.

"Chloe don't start." His husky whisper held a note of desperate pleading.

Derek was unyielding in his opinion that it was disrespectful to fool around with his dad sleeping next door, which I completely agreed with, I just liked testing his conviction. It was a game we played that more often than not just ended with a brief tickle spat and then sleep, but it was always more dangerous the first night he was back and I usually kept myself in check. Usually.

I arched up and pressed my lips along his collarbone. It was a favorite spot of mine and one I usually reserved for later in the game when things were winding down, not at the beginning when Derek's control was already taught.

"I'm serious. I will go sleep on the couch." He threatened but made no move to leave.

I smiled, taking my time to look him over now that my eyes had adjusted to the dark. There were so many well-defined muscles that I didn't know where I wanted to start touching. My absolute favorites though were his triceps, I loved the cut in the line of his arm, and his serratus anterior muscle—the group that lined his upper ribs. These had been less defined when we first met but when he'd started training to fight with Clay they had become more prominent since they were primarily responsible for the extension and recoil of a punch (yes I googled, I couldn't help it! They're _hot_).

With Derek's ability to see in the dark he had no trouble watching my expression as I blatantly drooled over him. Ogling didn't bother him nearly as much as touching but when my eyes started following the line of his inguinal ligament—that would be the sexy line at the hip that slopes down to-

"Stop." He snapped quietly, catching my chin and keeping my gaze above his waist.

"Stop what?" I asked innocently, eyes fixed on the curve of his mouth.

"You know what. Stop whatever you're plotting or thinking of plotting."

"Okay, I'll stop plotting if you kiss me." I met his eyes as he tugged me to him.

As soon as our lips brushed I pushed into the kiss, distracting him for the moment it took to slide my leg over his waist and sit up, keeping my mouth on his. I tangled my fingers in his hair and pinned him to the bed, kissing him deeply.

"You _said-_" He started, eyes narrowed but his glare was fixed on my mouth.

"That I'd stop plotting, this is acting, totally different." I stretched forward, sliding my body along his until he grabbed my wrists and flipped me over with a low growl.

My breath caught in a gasp when he jerked my body against his, catching my neck in a gentle but firm bite that made my pulse race. With both of my wrists in one hand and my body stilled with the arm around my waist I couldn't move. Even my head was pinned by his teeth at my throat. I wasn't scared but a thrill ran through me at how easy it was for him to overpower me.

That was the real core of the game, seeing how well Derek could control the half of his brain and body that was ruled by instinct, and I knew exactly what instinct the wolf was responding to. I could see it in the wildness in his eyes and the rigidity of his body as he held himself absolutely still, fighting for control.

"Too f-far?" I murmured, voice catching as slid his bite along the side of my neck, replacing his mouth with his cheek.

After a few shaky breaths he released me, staying poised on his elbows and knees. Another breath and he shook his head. "Not quite."

I pushed up and kissed him lightly, rubbing my nose against his. "So you surrender?"

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You. Are coming to Stonehaven with me this weekend. And you are going to pay for this." When I visited Stonehaven with Derek we stayed in the same cabin we'd shared the first time and Derek had no reservations there.

I smiled slowly. "Is that a threat or a promise?"

He kissed me almost bruisingly hard, pressing me into the soft pile of bedding and ran one of his big hands teasingly down the side of my body, thumb brushing the side of my chest. "Both." The growl was back and he settled into the bed, scooping me under the covers and pinning me there with one of his arms.

I nestled into the curve of his shoulder, annoyed by the comforter that separated his skin from mine but happy that he was once again sleeping beside me.

"Love you." I whispered against his skin.

"Give me a minute to stop being sexually frustrated before expecting pillow talk." He grumbled and I grinned, nestling into his body. He sighed, an annoyed and exasperated sound that I heard a lot of. "I love you to Pigeon."

I kicked him from under the covers and drifted to sleep listening to his soft laugh and steady heartbeat.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys, this is the first time I'm writing from Simon's POV and I wanted to get it right, sorry it's taken so long! Let me know how I did. Also I'm keeping the author's notes short due to my crazy life ATM. But thank you all so much for your amazing reviews! I thought you'd be more interested in a chapter than a lengthy AN anyway so here you go!

* * *

"Oh man oh man oh man oh man!" I ran circles around my room, looking for my backpack. It had all of my pens and inks and fine-tip brushes and everything that I needed to finish my senior project.

"Simon!" Chloe's voice called from the doorway and I froze mid-panic. "Looking for this?" She held up my bag and I let out a whoosh of a breath. "You left it on the counter genius."

"Oh thank baby Jesus and the happy Buddha and Shakira's hips." I fell to my knees and grabbed the bag, rifling through and nearly whimpering in relief when I found my fine-tipped calligraphy pens.

Chloe rolled her eyes and gave me a critical look. "You look like you didn't sleep at all."

I shrugged, betraying myself with a yawn. "I'll sleep when I'm dead, or when this project is done, whichever comes first."

"Get dressed you idiot, breakfast is getting cold."

A lead weight dropped in my stomach, I'd been joking about dying before the project but if Chloe had cooked breakfast that become a very real possibility. She glowered at me and I tried for an anticipatory smile that definitely came out more like a grimace.

"Derek cooked it you butthead." She turned on her heel and stomped down the hall.

I fell forward. "Ohthankgod." I whispered, adding on some more thanks to Buddha and the shrine of Shakira's hips.

The floor was actually comfortable in the way that all surfaces get comfortable when you're exhausted, I'd never noticed how soft wood could feel. I found my eyelids getting heavy...

"SIMON." Derek had hoisted me up and was shaking me like a puppy.

I HATE it when he does that.

"The fuck?" I kicked and he dropped me.

"You fell asleep on the floor. I tried waking you up nicely and it didn't work."

"How hard did you try exactly?" I glared at him and yanked on a pair of jeans.

He shrugged with a half-smile. "Called you from the bottom of the stairs."

"You're a dick."

"And you need sleep."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my flip-flops and backpack. "Whatever, let's go."

"Uh… Simon?" Derek waving a shirt from my clean laundry pile. "Might want to put that on."

I looked down, I got my pants, shoes, boxers, backpack and if you counted the glucose meter and back-up battery that was like eighty percent of an outfit, a passing grade.

"Eh. Close enough." I waved off the shirt and ducked into the bathroom to check my glucose level. Stress always affected my blood sugar and within the last year and a half I'd had more stress than your average lemming on fire. I cleaned, pricked and determined I wasn't dying before heading down to breakfast.

"Just think. After this afternoon it'll all be over and you can take a nap." Chloe smiled and held out the t-shirt Derek had brought down. "Please put your shirt on. The giggling and swooning is bad enough already, the female population of the school would go supernova if you went shirtless."

I smiled at that, a little surge of male pride perking me up better than coffee. "But my ego could definitely use the stroking." I flexed like Schwarzenegger and waggled my eyebrows at Chloe. "Anything?" She glanced from me to Derek and I sighed dramatically. "Out muscled by the werewolf _again_."

While it was true that Derek had more muscles than places to put them, working out with him kept me in awesome shape (if I do say so myself). As a "normal" supernatural if I even wanted to try to keep up with Derek on a run or in basketball or football or anything else ball I had to push myself to my limits. But it was just like being diabetic, I'd never been the stronger one so I didn't have anything to miss and being jealous of a werewolf for their strength was like being angry with the ocean for being wet, you either accepted it or you didn't. I accepted it, I got to be the funny one and that was good enough for me. Most of the time.

I pulled on my shirt and glanced over at Chlerek. "So… I assume you're going to the party?"

"Of course, rite of passage and all that. Limo picks us up after six, what perky popular girl are you bringing?" The female half of Chlerek responded while the male half shrugged non-committaly.

"None." I rolled my eyes at her mock-shock look. "I don't have a date because I'm not going."

Both of them stared now. Chloe in real surprise and Derek with pure panic that I was abandoning him. I did feel a momentary stab of guilt but it vanished as soon as he pulled the kicked-puppy look. He had Chloe to entertain him, no reason to try to manipulate me into going.

"You teaching today bro?" I asked around a mouthful of toast. Real subtle subject change.

Not gonna lie, hearing that Derek was TA'ing was about the most contradictory mental image I'd ever had, almost being my imaginative abilities. Chloe and me had snuck in to watch one of his classes, Physics of Light or something crazy and sciency. To our mutual shock, he was actually good at it. There was not a single student spacing off or doodling in his class, probably because they were terrified of him. But it hadn't been exclusively terror that made them scribble notes like crazy and genuinely try to understand what the heck he was talking about.

He was explaining how a pinhole camera worked and had everyone make one from materials they'd brought-I had the sneaking suspicion that he relied on the fact that no one in the class knew that he was younger than all of them. Looking all grown up and adorable in his 'nice' jeans and a light sweater Chloe had undoubtedly bought him helped.

He was all confident and calm as he demonstrated how to guerrilla-together a ghetto camera. Mostly they used boxes but more than a few creative alternatives including one girl (with a killer figure) that made hers out of a Pringles can. The class became increasingly more interesting after I started talking to her but oddly enough I couldn't remember a word Derek said after that.

"Only one class, then I'll be helping set up." He said as Chloe slung her backpack on and they started for the door.

"Sweet. I'll be in the studio all day if you need me." It was a sunny day and I stretched before getting into Chloe's car, basking in the warmth before I had to retreat to my cave of solitude in the art room.

"So. No date." Chloe said when we were on the road. "Any particular reason? I'm sure you could find a date in thirty seconds or less if you wanted."

"I don't want to date a non-supernatural."

"Is that racism I detect?"

"Nah. If anything it's speciesism." The two main ingredients in the cocktail that is Simon Bae are artist and sorcerer. I don't want to have to hide half of who I am from someone who I'm supposed to be intimate with.

Chloe hesitated, then sighed. "You know it might be nice to have your ego stroked for a little while by an adoring fan girl."

"And here I thought girls were only good for _other_ kinds of stroking."

"Sexist douchebag."

"Haley Joel Osment." I paused, thinking intensely and gave Chloe a serious look. "Chloe if you're really worried about me…"

"I am."

"-I can always subscribe to playboy."

She glared at me.

"I'm serious." I kept a stony resolute expression on my face. "We could tell Derek it's for figure sketching practice and you can go halfsies on the subscription."

She rolled her eyes and braked in front of the school. "Just get out."

I did a double-take at where she'd stopped, giving her a look of genuine trepidation. "But… this is the front of the school."

"Uh-huh."

"Not the parking lot."

"Gosh it's a good thing you're pretty! As long as you blind people with your attractiveness they'll _never_ notice that you're a ditzy blond."

I glared at her. "This isn't funny."

"Face your fears! Also I'm running errands for my class first period and won't be parking in the lot." We usually parked behind the school, where it was mostly abandoned in the morning and we didn't have to talk to anyone on the way in.

"I could come, everyone needs an errand boy right?" I said it only half-heartedly, knowing that my senior project had first priority.

Chloe kissed my cheek and handed me a sack lunch like a soccer mom, patting me on the head and smushing the hairstyle I had so carefully cultivated during the night. Seriously, I had to stay on one side for most of the night to really capture the "slept on one side" lopsided messy look.

I made it four steps down the sidewalk before Chloe had the passenger side window down.

"Have a good day at school honey!" She smiled and waved as she abandoned me to my fate while simultaneously chumming the water by drawing attention to us.

It was super weird but she had unintentionally slipped into a mother-like role in our household. She was already the worrier and (obviously) the only source of feminine energy that regularly inhabited the house. I assumed she appointed herself the nurturing role because she didn't have that figure in her life growing up, just like us. I was cool with it, it didn't bother me and the whole mother-type affection thing could be kind of nice in an overbearing, invasive, annoying sort of way.

_I am invisible_. I thought as I walked to the school, I couldn't flat-out run because that would attract too much attention but I strolled with the pace of an Olympian stroller. _I am invisible. I am invisible. I am invisible. _

"Simon!" A girl's voice squealed and I picked up the pace, pretending not to hear.

"Hey there." Another girl stepped into my path. A beautiful brunette that was no doubt involved in the cheerleading squad in some way (okay, not stereotyping here, she was wearing the uniform).

_I am invisible. She is talking to someone behind me. _She took my escape attempt as flirting—why is it that girls think you're flirting when you ignore them?

"You've been a hard man to track down."

Another sidestep from me, another casual sway into my path. Step, block, step, block. This was getting ridiculous. I noticed several more girls sneaking up in my peripheral vision, made bold by obvious rejection of my human blockade.

"I really have to finish my senior project, if you'll excuse me." I touched her shoulder to move her out of the way, big mistake.

"I think it's so hot that you're an artist." She caught my wrist with a vice-grip that would have kept even Derek trapped.

_If you break my damn wrist I won't be an artist for long._ I peeled her fingers off of me, trying not to surreptitiously check for bruising. "It was nice to see you again…" I pretended to struggle to remember her name, nothing pissed popular girls off more than that.

"Gwen." Her tone was icy but she recovered with rattlesnake speed. "I heard you haven't asked anyone to the dance."

"Not going." I backpedaled slowly, I could see a few girls closing in from the sides, scenting blood in the water.

_No sudden movements. Ah damn that's T-rex's, what the hell did you do against a pack of velocirapters?_

I'd never understood why girls were attracted to me. All I did was try to be nice to them, joke around and show some school spirit by playing on the athletic teams. When I asked Chloe in an attempt to find an effective girl-repellent she'd rolled her eyes as though I was asking why the sun rose. _Because you're hot. Duh._ Which really didn't help with my primary goal. When I asked Derek he'd said it was genetics. _You have unusual genetic features, you're obviously of mixed race and you're athletic, indicating that that particular genetic mix was successful. This appeals to their primary goal in life, procreate with a genetically strong male counterpart who can protect their offspring._ That had been even less helpful. Of course dad had just sighed and slumped in his chair; _Simon… it's time I told you about the family curse._ Hah hah dad.

_I don't want to date anybody! I want to work on my art without interruptions or distractions!_ I looked around, desperate for an escape route.

"Simon!" I was saved by the shout from the captain of the basketball team. He slung an arm around my shoulders and walked me into the school. Before I could thank him for rescuing me he turned with a determined gleam in his eyes. "Are you going to play in the last game this season?"

I rolled my eyes with an exasperated sigh. I'd joined the basketball team at the start of the term but it cut into my senior project time too much and I'd had to drop out. It hadn't gone over well.

"I'm scrawny and useless, like a starved kitten… with a bad case of TB." I didn't flex my arms to prove my point, they'd just indicate otherwise. Just because I quit the basketball team didn't mean I stopped working out, I needed the extra boost I got from the endorphins.

He laughed. "Toilet paper? You're a funny guy Simon."

I smiled weakly at his idiocy. I could see the door to the studio, it was just around the corner. All I needed was a distraction…

"Isn't that Megan Fox?" I asked, squinting down the opposite hall.

"Huh? Where?" He spun with the reflexes of an eighteen-year-old hormone-driven basketball team captain.

I ran for it.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys, same deal, new POV, tell me if I got it right! This chapter in particular was hella hard to write, you'll see why. Everything has been crazy busy in my life atm so I'm going to keep my AN's short and focus my spare time on writing the actual story. I will respond to any new readers, questions or things that make me laugh so don't be put off! I'll even put in extra fluff for being so antisocial!

Black Heart- I totally agree, I can't wait to write some fluff from Simon's perspective, I bet he'd be really good at it! ~.^

Silver Bird- I'm reestablishing the Darkest Powers Addicts Anonymous, or DPAA. Though I'm sure Simon would be flattered to be revered on the same level as Britney!

Mina Werewolf, Jimmy's mama, Mrs. Fictional Character, Bookwyrm, Melkitty, and Lauren94- You guys have totally pumped up my writer's ego! I'm seriously glad that you like not just this story but my whole writing style, it really is super flattering. Just for that I'll throw in some extra fluffy fluff in the chapters to come!

Crazy about Converse- He decided at the end of What Binds Them that his pet name for Chloe was going to have something to do with birds so when he's grumpy or teasing her he calls her Pigeon.

* * *

I picked my way through the throng of students, finding Chloe and Derek by scent. They stood outside of an auditorium, Chloe looking excited and terrified and Derek holding her shoulders, leaning down to whisper encouragement every now and then.

I felt the familiar tightening in my stomach at the sight of him. My son. The concept still made my head reel. I'd always wanted a son and had thought that I was more than happy to have Clayton to fill that void but with an age gap of barely fourteen years and with our slowed aging process Clay felt like more of a younger brother than son.

Derek was undeniably my son though there were qualities to him that contrasted sharply with myself. I'd always felt less wolf-like than other members of my pack, ruled by reason and compassion rather than instinct. Derek on the other hand was more wolf-like than any werewolf I'd met next to Clay.

He emoted the otherness that made people nervous around us in waves, he started changing younger than any born werewolves I'd heard of and never let human selfishness interfere with his wolf's need to protect his family. Even more extraordinary, he didn't seem to care in the slightest about living with other werewolves or establishing a reputation or status for himself, a sharp contrast to the rest of the weres.

It seemed that the modifications the Edison Group had made to make werewolves less wolf-like failed in some ways and succeeded in others. I knew that Derek desired territory, but he wanted it for very human reasons. He wanted a home for his family, somewhere they could always go to and be welcome and safe like Stonehaven. He didn't want a whole state or even town to claim as territory, he would have been happy with a few dozen acres. Very unusual for our kind.

On top of that he was brilliant, gifted in ways that I would have never suspected a child of mine capable of. I was selfishly proud of being able to take credit for half of his genes even though his childhood had been difficult in the extreme and I wished that I could have done something before now to ease that. I had to content myself with trying to make up for lost time by welcoming him to Stonehaven and being proud of the man he was becoming and the extraordinary young woman he had as a partner.

Chloe balanced Derek on a level that I could only vaguely grasp. She seemed to always know what he needed even when he wasn't sure. Likewise he had a calming effect on her, even now as she looked anxious and terrified when he held her and murmured words of encouragement it would bring color back to her face for a moment... before she'd glance into the auditorium and look terrified all over again.

Knowing that she'd ripped apart a werewolf with the skeletons of bears made it hard to believe that a video premier could make her nervous.

Jaime's fingers tightened around mine and I smiled down at her. While I admired and was grateful for the depth of the connection Derek and Chloe had I was more than content with having claimed Jaime as a mate. She was a beautiful person with a gentle soul and made me happy and accepted me. That was more than I could ever ask for.

"Look! It's Simon's art!" She pulled me excitedly through the crowd to where Derek's foster brother Simon was talking with a group of official-looking people.

Jaime waved and he smiled, nodding to us before nervously continuing talking. I tuned out the sounds of the surrounding crowd to pick up his conversation.

"_The Rhode Island school of Design has a very demanding curriculum, and the scholarship program is even more demanding. What do you think you could bring to the school that would set you apart from the other students?_" One of the men was saying, his voice was disdainful but his eyes kept darting to the framed panels of Simon's graphic story when he thought no one was looking with a hungry gleam.

I looked over the pieces with a painter's eye. Simon had actually chosen a more difficult medium by using almost exclusively heavy ink for his drawings. He had no colors to rely on to convey dimension or depth but used silhouettes masterfully and gave the panels rich detail with fine and intricate pen lines.

"_The California School of the Arts would be thrilled to have you as one of our students. We would be more than happy to be able to claim that such a talented young artist continued his education with us._" This came from a middle-aged woman with an easy smile.

"_I never said we didn't want you as a student-_" The first man interjected.

"Oh god, would that ever stink." Jaime was working her way down the pictures and stopped at one of the few full-page drawings, a girl in a basement-type setting with a rotting body digging itself out of the ground and onto her body. Simon had kept the girl's eyes the freest from ink so the whites showed all the way around and highlights reflected off of exposed bones in the corpse's hand as it touched her cheek with the tip of one finger, drawing a fine line of blood.

Jaime shivered and I saw that she'd gone slightly green, not surprising since she was a necromancer herself and had first-hand experience with zombies.

"Chloe didn't even know she was a necromancer." She murmured, quietly enough so only I heard her. "I can't imagine… just ghosts made me wet the bed through middle school and I knew what I was." Her cheeks flushed with the memory, not in embarrassment of telling me, but in humiliation for how her mother had reacted to her daughter seeing ghosts.

I pulled her tightly to me and kissed the top of her head, rubbing the goosebumps off of her arms. Jaime's mother had been the most emotionally abusive parent I'd ever heard of next to my own father and I'd never thought anyone could be crueler than Malcolm.

"Hey guys." Simon took one look at us and his eyes widened, looking from Jaime's pale face to his drawing. "Oh man I'm sorry Jaime, I should have warned you or gotten Chloe to warn you or-"

Jaime smiled and touched his shoulder reassuringly. "It's okay Simon; I've heard the story and Chloe showed me the rough sketch. You did a spectacular job making it creepy as hell while keeping it artfully tasteful, way to go."

Simon tried for a smile but still looked worried.

"Really, I can guarantee you that any real necro who sees this would get equally freaked out, it's all of our worst fears." She looked at the picture again, color returning to her face. "It's really an incredible art piece."

I nodded. "The detail and use of light and shadows is really indicative of your growth as an artist Simon, and the subject matter is fearless, which the art world needs more of."

"I absolutely agree, I'd love to buy one of your pieces but preferably…" She grimaced theatrically. "NOT one about ghosts or corpses or graveyards."

"You know I think I have a fluffy bunny sketch lying around somewhere at home." Simon managed a smile this time.

"I love bunnies! Could you toss a rainbow and some glitter on it for me?" Jaime winked and looped her free arm through one of Simon's. "C'mon kiddo, show's about to start."

He looked at his watch and his eyes widened in surprise. "Shit! I didn't realize it'd gotten so late! Chloe's going to kill me!"

I smiled at that. It was highly entertaining to watch how tightly both Simon and Derek were wrapped around Chloe's little finger. They were the essence of the three musketeers, all of them willing to take a bullet for either of the others.

It occurred to me that it would be lonely to be part of the musketeers when two of them were a couple and I glanced over at Simon, noting a darkness in his eyes that he hid well behind his token grin. The kind of darkness that was all too familiar as my eyes, from the color to the shape, were very similar to his, and frequently held the same type of deep preoccupation.

I found Derek in the throng and he pointed to where Chloe was standing on a chair, waving her arms.

"Looks like those are our seats." Jaime said with a grin, color completely back to normal and I let out a slow breath, relieved that she'd bounced back so quickly from her triggered moment.

We made it to the row seconds before the lights flashed, signaling the start of the show. A girl was sitting at the far end, Elena next to her, chatting and laughing. I studied the girl, it was unusual for humans to react to werewolves comfortably but she was completely at ease. A human I didn't know was sitting next to Elena, subconsciously leaning away from her. Chloe sat next to him so I assumed it was her father and Derek next to her so I filed the three of us on the end, letting Simon sit by his father who was by Victoria Enright who was saving the last seat in the row.

Those three (and of course Chloe) were the strangest supernatural's I'd met, and that was really saying something. Simon and Kit were completely at ease around werewolves and Victoria treated us with the same aloof attitude that she used with everyone.

"Hello Tori, Kit. It's nice to see you again." I said, touching her shoulder lightly and shaking his hand as we passed.

They only had time to smile a greeting before an electronically magnified voice echoed over the audience and I winced. "_Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the Media seniors' showcase! We have a broad spectrum of talent for you today, starting with the avant-garde work of Dan Justi and concluding with a documentary collage by Chloe Saunders!_"

I frowned down at the brochure someone had passed to me upon entering. There were fifteen graduating seniors but most of them had done collaborative pieces, meaning there were five projects in total. The only person who had helped Chloe was someone named Haven Smith, who was credited for editing the audio and designing the soundtrack. From the brochure it looked like most of the pieces were short, ten to fifteen minutes.

We sat through the first project in stunned silence. In it a boy ran over a squirrel with his bicycle, then dreamed about himself a friend standing in a field of cattle and drinking bottles of bleach. It was the single most strange and awful piece of cinema I had ever seen.

Thankfully none of the other pieces were nearly as odd. A girl had filmed a short interview with a bee-keeper that was interspersed with video clips of the hives and harvesting honey. Someone did a collection of Youtube (some kind of internet page) videos of people all over the world telling their favorite knock-knock jokes, and the last before Chloe's was a fairly decent piece about modern dance.

I looked over as Chloe's name was announced, she was gripping Derek's hand so hard he was actually wincing and looked absolutely terrified. Since the only other work of hers I'd seen was a video of her killing someone, I had no idea what to expect.

A title screen faded on "An Introduction to My Family by Chloe Saunders" and a boy down the row mock-yawned to the guffaws oh his friends. It opened with a violin piece that I recognized as Bach's _Matthaus Passion_ and a shot of a graveyard with Chloe and her father standing at two gravestones, one of her mother and the other of her aunt Lauren. Chloe's voice came on over the speakers and present Chloe hid her face completely in Derek's shoulder.

"_The most vibrant memory I have of my mother is when she told me cherish the people I love and to smile every day._" The same boy from earlier made a loud snoring noise. "_These are the people who make me smile._" The music faded out and another title screen faded in. "Derek Souza, Simon and Kit Bae and Tori Enright." A sudden shift in music made those who had been shifting in their seats still, eyes flying to the screen. A fast electronic beat introduced Simon's face as he grinned at the camera and said something, then swung it down to focus on the surface of a lake at least seven meters below, then up to a cliff face that stretched up for another six or seven meters where Derek was peering over the edge, a concentrated look on his face as he calculated his jump.

The words of the song came in while the camera focused on Derek for the first time:

_When I'm falling down will you pick me up again?_

When the camera zoomed in and focused on Derek there were more than a few giggles and female noises of appreciation from the audience and the present Derek shifted uncomfortably as the shirtless Derek on screen frowned, then looked down at the camera, nodding.

_Will you, take me out of here? When I'm staring down the barrel. When I'm blinded by the lights. When I cannot see your face..._

With the music the shot zoomed back and Derek took a running start, diving off the cliff.

_Take me out of here_

The scene cut to a sketchpad that started filling in like Chloe had taken several shots of the picture as the artist worked on it.

_Take me out of here_

In the sketch Derek was caught in his dive, forever suspended in mid-air.

_Take me out of here_

The camera switched back and forth between Derek's actual jump and the drawing of him which was clearly Simon's work, synchronized with the chorus, ending with a bang from the music as he hit the water that made everyone jump in their seats. The bang matched with a scene switch to Derek being hit in the face with a small sandal as he climbed out of the lake and the camera swung over to see Chloe, yelling at him and threatening him with her other shoe.

_Feed the fire, break your vision, throw your fists up, come on with me_

Kit was laughing so hard behind her that he didn't see Simon as he crept up behind him and nailed him with a water balloon.

_Feed the fire, break your vision, throw your fists up, come on with me_

Simon in turn didn't see Tori as she doused Simon completely with the biggest super-soaker I had ever seen.

_Feed the fire, break your vision, throw your fists up, come on with me._

I knew from Elena telling me the story of this very incident that she had been the one holding the camera at this point.

The music shifted again to a woman singing:

_I am likely to miss the main event if I stop to cry or complain again_

With another title screen, "Jaime Vegas" A shot of Jaime on stage,

_So I will keep a deliberate pace, let the damned breeze dry my face_

throwing her arms wide to an audience—this time there were more than a few _male_ noises of appreciation.

_Oh mister, wait until you see what I'm gonna be_

The video cut to me asleep on the sofa at Stonehaven and Jaime creeping up behind me with a dramatic 'shush' to the camera.

_I've got a plan, a demand and it just began_

The audience laughed as while Jaime faced the camera I cracked one eye open and shook my head subtly with a small wry smile.

_And if you're right, you'll agree_

She had a can of shaving cream raised and was right above me, grinning triumphantly

_Here's coming a better version of me_

Without warning I shot up and grabbed her wrists, flipping the can of shaving cream around and dousing her with it.

_Here's coming a better version of me_

She screamed on camera and we tousled for a minute, both of us ending up covered in shaving cream.

_Here's coming a better version of me_

Elena walked in, took one look at us, and walked right back out, throwing her hands in the air.

Another title screen, "The Danver's and Nick Sorrentino." This scene opened up with another song, something electronic again

_Whatcha gonna do when the hounds are calling?_

Clay crouching in the grass with the twins, pointing at Nick as he walked past

_You're a muck, that's why I had to cut you down_

and miming pouncing as they both nodded seriously and army-crawled through the grass.

_You run with the wolves while I hunt like a hound_

Elena was on the back porch, flipping through the mutt dossiers, though you'd only know that if you knew what the folder looked like. As the twins crept towards Nick, Clay started a slow belly-crawl towards Elena.

_You run with the wolves, shout it out loud_

I laughed disbelievingly when I caught the lyrics of the song. The song picked up speed the twins pounced Nick, taking him by surprise as all three tumbled to the grass. Simultaneously Clay used the distraction to lunge for Elena.

_Whatcha gonna do with the hounds are calling?_

Without looking up at either of the attacking werewolves she shoved her chair back with lightening-speed that we had barely agreed on as being human enough to include in the video but watching the whole scene I was glad I had given in. Clay missed, already airborne and unable to check his leap. He crashed down onto the porch behind her and she flipped a page, settling back in her original position without a hair out of place.

The scene seamlessly changed to a shot of me painting in the basement, hair in my eyes and brush in between my teeth as I frowned at a painting, still the same song playing but slower. The camera swung around so the audience could see what I was working on; a landscape with several figures lounging in the moonlight beside a lake. The music changed again, back to the first song, fading in as the camera zoomed in on the landscape until it blurred and faded to black.

_Just stay where you are, Let your fear subside_

Then a final title screen before the credits;

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a pack, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. –Jane Howard."

_Just stay where you are, if there's nothing to hide._

The credits started rolling with pictures beside them. Candid photographs of Chloe with her dad, Derek scowling at a blackboard covered in complex mathematical formulas with a single huge bunny sketched in the middle in chalk, Simon covered in black ink as he worked on the project that now hung on display, Clay and Elena wrestling the twins into car seats, all of the kids around a campfire while Chloe stared at her flaming marshmallow with horror, Jaime and I backstage at one of her shows, ending with a picture of Chloe and Derek at the same lake the video started at, backs to the camera and facing the sunset, Derek with his arm around Chloe and her head resting against his shoulder.

The theater was silent for a moment and I glanced down the aisle to see Chloe looking an odd shade of gray, then it erupted into applause, led by us and the same boy who had mocked the project at the beginning.

"I definitely want a copy of that." Jaime said to me with a grin, pride marking her smile as she watched Chloe smile hesitantly and disbelievingly at the audience's response.

* * *

Okay, that was the first time I've included music in a story, hope it turned out okay and not too disjointed. As usual I don't own anything, if you're wondering here's the songs I used:

Johann Sabastian Bach's _Matthaus Passion_

Pendulum's _Watercolor_

Fiona Apple's _Better Version of Me_

Prodigy's _Run with the Wolves_

And the last few lines are from _Watercolor _again.


	5. Chapter 5

**All right, I wrote this chapter before the Jeremy POV one, planning on writting an intervening chap but nothing really fit so, sorry for the mix-and-match perspectives, more Chlerek to come soon!**

**Wow the other chapter was received well, thanks for the compliments Lizzie, HorsesandVampires, Silverbird, Suzi and Nelly and everyone else who reviewed! I'll keep em coming. **

**

* * *

**

"I'm not going." I crossed my arms. My sibling and sibling-in-law stared at me, Chloe with a look of exasperation, Derek with a look of panic. "We went over this this morning guys. I don't have a date, you two are probably going to go make out somewhere within ten minutes of us getting there and I am not doing the guy-standing-alone-and-trying-to-look-cool routine."

"Actually…" Chloe hesitated and I looked at her, a tendril of fear shooting through me. While she was one of the nicest people I knew, she could also be downright devious when she wanted to. "When you said you didn't have a date this morning I asked Haven if she would come with us."

I winced. Blind dates had about the same chance of success as catching a butterfly during a tornado. I glared at her and stomped up the stairs to get dressed. I could picture Chloe and Derek deliberating on how to best placate me and locked my door just in case. I so did not want to deal with Chlerek right now.

It hadn't taken me too long to get over Chloe, settling for a brother-sister relationship instead of boyfriend-girlfriend. But even after a year I still felt the small twinge of jealousy, they were attached at the hip, usually literally, and since being around their super stupidly deep lovey-doveyness I didn't want to get into any more shallow relationships. It'd feel fake next to them.

I dove into the depths of my closet to retrieve the suit I'd bought on a guys shopping trip with Nick, who was kind of the Simon of The Pack. Nick Sorrentino came from an absurdly rich family and his dad Antonio didn't care that his only son had no intention of working a day in his life. When we went to check on a suit that was being tailored for Nick and he asked what kind of dress clothes I had at home I'd laughingly said 'khaki pants.' Nick took it upon himself to immediately rectify the situation.

The 'steel gray' Chanel or something (all those designers blend together after awhile) suit had been the only thing we could compromise on, with a double-breasted jacket it wasn't a normal boring suit and I liked the feel of the lighter fabric. Nick had liked the color and only agreed to the almost somewhat reasonably priced designer suit when I caved and let him get it tailored to fit me. He was determined to spoil me completely since he saw our family's dynamic as a carbon-copy of The Pack—with Chlerek instead of Clena and me instead of him—and knew what it was like to be the third wheel.

I just prayed that I wouldn't have any more growth spurts (although a few more inches would be good for basketball… like 6'3") but the tailor said he would leave a few inches sewn into the hems just in case. I pulled on a darker gray silk t-shirt, also courtesy of Nick and his wallet, and finished the ensemble with my nice Chuck Taylors—honestly, they were barely scuffed at all… mostly… sort of.

The Simon in the mirror looked about as happy as a cat in a bath and I mussed my hair completely for the bed-head look. I knew that I had to wear the shirt and suit or Chloe would send me right back upstairs but I was going as casual as humanly possible with everything else. I rolled my shoulders, trying to get the suit to settle correctly and to my annoyance it did, stupid tailor.

On my way to the door I glanced down at a sketch in progress, a completely vague male figure that was supposed to be a study in drawing clothes. I looked in the mirror, then at the sketch, then at the door.

_I've got time._ I plunked down at my desk and pulled one of my softer charcoal pencils out of the desk. Every now and then I'd stand and look over the suit, the way it fell, the weight and movement of the fabric, where light reflected the most prominently, etc. I sketched quickly, smudging shadows with my fingertips and cleaning up edges with my big white eraser.

I was just getting to the finer details, cuffs, buttons, hems and shoe detail, when a knock on the door interrupted me.

"Yeah?" I called, not looking up.

The knob turned partway and stopped, locked.

"Just a sec." I leaned over and unlocked the door, letting Derek in.

"I thought you might be drawing." He shook his head ruefully as he looked over my outfit. "I don't know how you manage to get away with that. Chloe would have my head on a platter."

"Get away with what?" I asked innocently, cleaning the charcoal off my hands with a wet wipe.

Derek rolled his eyes and gestured to his outfit, then mine. He was wearing the pitch black suit Elena had taken him to get for when he started going to counsel meetings with her and the forest-green (I'm an artist okay? I know colors.) button down shirt Chloe had bought on a whim.

"Looks like you got away without a tie." I nodded at the shirt where he'd unbuttoned the top few buttons, probably to breathe.

"I definitely drew the line at the tie." He scowled down at the suit and loafers like they had personally offended him.

"Go you! Open purse, remove balls." I grinned and ducked when he scowled some more and swatted at me, still getting my hair flattened.

"Get your ass downstairs before I send Chloe in after you." It was his turn to grin when I shot out of my chair. If Chloe saw my outfit while we were still in my room she'd make me change shoes and comb my hair for sure.

"Boys?" A familiar feminine voice floated up from the first floor and I blanched, bolting for the stairs.

I was halfway down when I remembered I was supposed to meet my date and skidded to a halt—which is not easy to do on stairs. I glanced back towards my room, hoping to make a break for it through a window or air conditioning vent, but an irritatingly solid werewolf was right behind me, arms crossed and glaring.

"Aw man." I muttered and stomped down the rest of the stairs.

"Well he's making enough pouty noises for his own introduction, but Haven, this is Simon." Chloe smiled and waved a hand in my direction.

I gave the stairs one last wistful glance but a low growl from Derek squelched that idea. I pasted as much of a smile as I could manage on my face and resigned myself to my fate.

"Nice to meet you." 'Fate' said in a low almost contralto voice.

I raised my eyes reluctantly, though the voice definitely perked up the interest of the male in me. But sadly the girl was unremarkable looking, someone I wouldn't have given a second-glance at in the halls. The only thing that kept my stomach from sinking to my toes was something about her smile. I gave her that second glance, going over her with my artist's eye. She was average height with a lean build and the least determinable ethnicity of anyone I'd ever met. The only features that stood out at all were her voice and her eyes, eyes the color of light honey.

"Simon, this is Haven Smith." Chloe finished the introduction and the girl gave me another smile; mischievous and a little lopsided with only one dimple on her right cheek and I felt the my Simon-senses tingling like they had when I first met Chloe, telling me there was something more to this girl than met the eye.

I steeled myself for the familiar look of surprise or confusion when she looked at my eyes, and the difference between them and my blond hair. It didn't come. Haven looked me over, eyebrows drawn together as if in deep contemplation. Her expression didn't change when she saw the clear Korean features of my eyes combined with the dark blond hair from my mother's Swedish contribution.

"He'll do." She said to Chloe with a grin and a wink my way. "But I think I'm getting the better end of the deal." She stage-whispered.

"You won't think that after he opens his mouth." Tori walked into the room and smirked when she saw us. "Check out the nerd brigade, it's almost like picture day in middle school."

I raised an eyebrow at that. I definitely had not worn a thousand dollar suit to picture day.

"Tori, Haven, Haven Tori." Chloe gestured to each appropriate girl. "You heading out?" This was directed at Tori.

"Hell yes, prom was bad enough the first time."

"I'm surprised you can even remember it, considering how much alcohol was in your system." I pulled the innocent look when Tori turned to glare at me.

"Anyway. Jerk. I'm going over to Michael's for the night."She grabbed her keys and waved on her way out the door.

It sucked that even Tori had a significant other when I didn't. Life is a cruel mistress.

"Well that's one less nuisance to deal with." Derek steered me around and towards the door. "Time to go, dinner first right?" He asked hopefully over his shoulder.

Chloe shook her head ruefully. "Do you really think I'd take a grouch like you to the dance on an empty stomach? I'm not completely crazy."

We got into the back of the limo Chloe's dad had insisted on renting and Chlerek immediately took up the whole back seat. I let Haven get in ahead of me and took the opposite empty side when she was comfortable.

My 'date' was dressed almost as casually as me in a pale gold cocktail dress. Both she and Chloe had opted for the not floor-length style, going for the knee-length floaty skirt instead. But while Chloe's pumps were normal impractical strappy prom heels, Haven was wearing slightly less impractical ballet flat-type shoe things and her wavy hair was loose around her shoulders.

"You're being unnaturally quiet Simon, it's making me nervous." Chloe poked me with her toe.

"Sorry, just tired." I ran a hand through my hair and tried to remember how to talk to girls. I hadn't really tried since failing spectacularly with Savannah the year before.

"I saw your art at the senior showcase." Haven said to me. "Pretty powerful work, very Frank Miller." She gave me that smile again when my eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Yes, girls read comics too, shocking I know."

"It wasn't so much the general idea of girls reading comics that surprised me as much as the material. Frank Miller is pretty stylized stuff." I leaned back against my seat, trying to get into chatty mode.

"True, but I think he balances the content with that stylized look. If he drew like Disney then Sin City would be like Happy Tree Friends."

"I'm definitely more interested in the cinema aspect but I have to say that if Frank Miller's drawing style is anything like the movie Sin City then his style fits the content of his comics perfectly." Chloe contributed, relaxing into Derek's side.

"I think that was as much a reflection on Robert Rodriguez's style as Miller's. But the tragic edge to his characters translated well to film." Haven slanted a look across the car at me, assessing my reaction.

"Sure but the content got a little buried with all the action and focus on Hollywood aesthetics." I countered.

"They wouldn't have had anyone but Frank Miller fans at the theater if it hadn't been Hollywoodized. We Americans don't like our standards of beauty to be challenged." Haven shot back, the flash of good-humor in her eyes taking any edge off of the words.

"Oh thank god." Chloe breathed a sigh of relief. "We're at the restaurant."

I blinked, I had completely lost track of time and hadn't even realized we'd left the neighborhood yet. Even with my nap after the show the lack of sleep was really messing with my head.

"Where are we?" Haven asked, frowning at the street with multiple restaurants lining it.

"Wasabi." Chloe grinned up at Derek. "Get ready to love me forever."

"Uh-oh." I said as we pushed open the doors to a Japanese-ish restaurant with a mini food conveyer belt running through the middle of it.

We had a table along the belt but near enough to the kitchens that most of the patrons wouldn't see the massive amount of carnage left by Derek's werewolf appetite. The conveyer belt turned out to be double decked with hot dishes on top and cold dishes on the bottom. Chloe had reserved a table at the end of the belt, right before it vanished into the kitchens so Derek could take as many dishes as he wanted without starving the other customers.

"Inside or outside?" I asked Haven, stepping back so she could choose to be by the belt or the aisle.

"Are you planning on eating from the belt or the menu?" She asked.

"Definitely belt."

"Then outside, you can pass me plates, I'm sure you'll eat faster and more than I do." She grinned up at me and I felt an automatic smile tug at my own lips. It must be the dimple, I'm a sucker for dimples.

We all settled, girls next to the aisle—a switch from the usual arrangement and one that obviously grated a little with Derek's protective wolfy streak.

"I love..." He said to Chloe, but his eyes kept flicking to the conveyer belt, tracking the dishes he wanted to grab when they came within reach. "You are… just…"

"Start eating." Chloe ordered with a laugh. "You can fawn on me later."

We all oohed and ahhed over the dishes, daring each other to eat the unidentifiable ones and me and the girls combined trying to out-eat Derek. A lost cause if there ever was one. The waiter had to clear dishes from our table every ten minutes or so as each one had three or four bites worth; one steamed dumpling or a small handful of edamame in the shell. Three spicy crawfish were on one plate and one piece of sashimi sushi on another. There were also tons of little cakes and puddings and other desserts that came by and Haven dared me to try a reddish soup with round floating pieces in it that turned out to be cherries in a sour reduction.

It was the most silly fun I'd had since starting my senior project and I found myself slipping comfortably in the relaxed group. Haven fit right in with us, countering Derek's occasional sarcastic comments easily and chatting with Chloe like they were old friends. I found myself acting naturally around her, usually I flattered girls and never argued or got confrontational but Haven was like Chloe; sharp-tongued and quick-witted and I surprised myself by starting several heated debates with her. She wasn't someone that I'd pick for a date but I definitely was hoping to make friends with her.

_Maybe there's hope for me after all._ I thought to myself, feeling more Simony than I had in awhile.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys, sorry I disappeared I had to spend a couple days vacation in the lovely place of padded walls and crappy food, where god forbid someone give me a computer in case I somehow learn to poison myself with a keyboard. Sigh. Anyway, Here's your next chapter in our beloved werewolve's POV.**

**Love,**

**Az.**

* * *

Chloe's friend Haven, the new girl who had joined the school a month before summer break, was a supernatural. I could smell it on her, just the slight non-human twinge that marked her as _other_. The werewolf in me wanted to drag her out back and question her, demanding to know who and what she was. But the human in me reasoned that she smelled only faintly supernatural, like a magician—who was like a sorcerer but with more illusions and parlor tricks than real magic. She also may have been the daughter of a half-demon in which case she wouldn't have inherited any of her demonic grandparent's powers. What really kept me in check though was how Simon was acting around her.

I hadn't seen him really talk to a girl outside of the family since his grade-school crush on Savannah Levine. I don't know if it was Savannah's complete disregard for his existence or me and Chloe's relationship but Simon had been quieter, smiling less and thinking before he talked—a sure sign of the apocalypse.

But now he was smiling with his eyes, even really grinning now and then, bantering easily with Haven. So I told myself to ignore the supernatural in her scent and focus on the girl herself, assess whether or not she was genuine. There was something… off about her. Not super obvious, nothing to raise real red flags. She just occasionally would glance around, eyes darkening with a serious focus that made her seem years older.

Chloe noticed my preoccupation and squeezed my leg under the table, getting my attention. I looked down into her worried eyes and tried to wipe the suspicion off my face but, as always, she saw it. She frowned and I sighed lightly, flicking my gaze towards Haven who was now telling Simon a story about some disastrous camping trip. He had to clamp his mouth shut to keep from laughing as she explained how she had backpacked up a mountain with a friend and ended up miles from the campsite in the dark when it started raining. Chloe brushed my hand on the table reassuringly, a smile curving her lips as she flicked her own gaze towards Simon who was laughing outright now.

I felt the hesitation slipping more and more as I watched the tightness fade from around Simon's eyes and mouth. Whatever she was, I owed her. I could tell by Simon's posture and the way he talked to her that he wasn't romantically interested in her, which was what I had thought he needed but as he relaxed I realized what he needed was a friend outside of the family.

_Someone who doesn't disappear whenever their hormones got the better of them._ I thought, sliding a guilty glance at Chloe.

She was watching them banter as well, a small relieved smile that was countered by the disappointment as she read the same signs in Simon that I did. She'd obviously hoped that Simon's interest would be sparked and that she would get credit for being a successful matchmaker. I'd tell her later that although Simon liked pretty girls, what he needed right now was someone—girl or not—with a brain that could make him laugh. Haven definitely had a brain and obviously could make him laugh and that was enough for me.

The girls excused themselves, claiming the need to touch up their make-up, and Simon and I were left at the table.

"Looks like you made a friend." I said with a grin Simon's way.

"And here I thought that I'd forgotten how to." He responded in kind. "I'm actually kinda glad you dragged me along, how often do you get to hang out with the DJ of a party?"

"Not too often I'd imagine. She did a good job with Chloe's senior project too."

Simon's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Oh man, I completely forgot she worked with Chloe. If her DJ music is anything like Chloe's soundtrack then even you might be dancing."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah right… but I'll be interested to see if she has anymore wolf-related songs up her sleeve."

I looked up as I heard Chloe's laugh and saw her and Haven coming our way. "Looks like the girls are…" I trailed off, studying Haven. I could have sworn that she looked different. Not something I could really put my finger on, but maybe her lips had been thinner or her face had been rounder. I didn't usually notice or care what girl's looked like, but at this distance if she hadn't been wearing the same dress with the same odd light brown eyes I'm not sure I would have recognized her at first glance. Makeup was a mystery to me and I'd seen the dramatic difference it could make from past experience when Chloe fooled even me to sneak into the Edison Compound so I stopped worrying about it, saving that concern for something worth it.

I did see Simon tilt his head slightly though, a confused crease between his eyes that I knew from experience meant he was putting two and two together and coming up with five. I'd seen the same expression countless times when we did homework together.

"Temporarily sated you bottomless pit?" Chloe asked sitting beside me again.

"Temporarily." I agreed, putting my hand against the back of her neck and tracing my fingers down her collarbone, still stuck on the mental image of what she'd worn to sneak into the Edison compound.

I'd been shocked at myself when the group of vampires walked in and they all emoted an energy like Chloe's power, one in particular. I was never instantly attracted to girls but the girl vampire had drawn me like a magnet. Something about her, and that outfit, all liquid latex (to cover her scent) really short skirt and absurdly high boots (things Chloe would never normally wear). Her face had stopped me to, she had sharply defined cheekbones and thinner lips (makeup) black eyes (colored contacts) and short dark blond hair (wig). Even so, even smelling only vaguely of perfume and latex and makeup something about her had completely captivated me. I was horrified at the instant rush of pure lust I felt when looking at her and tried to shake it off. Then she had looked at me, undressing me with her eyes and smiling faintly at my reaction to her and I'd been so sure it wasn't Chloe. That I only associated her with this girl because I had wanted her so desperately to be at my side.

Of course it turned out that that WAS Chloe, I knew it as soon as I saw her in the compound without the wig and she'd looked at me. Even with the black eyes I'd know that look anywhere. If she hadn't _killed_ herself shortly thereafter I definitely would have made her keep that outfit.

Chloe saw the general intonation of my thoughts and caught her breath. Sliding her hand over my thigh, squeezing before she scooted her chair back to get up. "Then let's go!"

"What about the check? I definitely want to pay for my share." Haven caught her before she stood.

"For having the balls to come on a blind date I will cover you." Simon said with a grin, recovering from his momentary confusion at the subtle shift in her appearance. "So, IOU's again?"

Chloe smiled at Haven. "It's already paid for, you can join the ranks of my adoring fans. Simon pays me in free entertainment and Derek-" She broke off, cheeks flushing.

I bit the inside of my cheek so I wouldn't smile. We had a whole system of repayment, a foot massage covered a meal she'd paid for, a back massage covered… you get the idea.

"… Anyway, I owe you for your help with my senior project." Chloe finished.

"You did the music right?" Simon asked as we all headed for the door, Chloe with a wave to the waiter who smiled back, obviously he'd been well compensated for his trouble.

"Yeah and it was no problem, really, I enjoyed the change from the other chunk of my senior project." Haven smiled and as soon as we were outside did a quick practiced survey of the area.

My interest grew as she unobtrusively moved in between us and a street corner with a few men standing around talking. They were the only possible threat and the corner was the biggest blind spot, therefore the most exposed area. I didn't even need to assess the area before putting myself on the other side of us, sandwiching Simon and Chloe without either noticing.

As the limo pulled up without incident, I paused to listen in on the men's conversation and determined that they were more interested in a large-breasted secretary from work than mugging a few kids. Haven ducked in first, checking out the car and leaving me to get in last.

"So Haven's a pretty unusual name, how'd your parents come up with that?" I asked.

"Ah… well…" She bit her lip and frowned, obviously reluctant.

"Hey you don't have to tell us if you don't want to." Simon said, trying for a reassuring smile but not quite hiding his curiosity.

"Oh I've got no problem telling you guys about it, it's just… it usually makes other people uncomfortable. " She hesitated again, then laughed. "But now I'm making it sound all mysterious and like it's a big deal… I named myself actually."

Simon leaned forward, really interested now. "You named yourself?"

"Yeah. I grew up in the foster system and got slapped with 'Mary Grace'." She made a face. "I found out my biological mother's name when I was thirteen and took that instead. Haven Smith."

"Much better." I agreed.

"Definitely, I never felt like a Mary, Haven just kinda fit you know?" She smiled and looked from Chloe to me, to Simon and back again, trying to gauge our reactions.

"My mother died when I was little." Chloe said matter-of-factly, it was a long time ago and she'd had plenty of time to grieve. "And Derek is Simon's foster-brother."

"Yeah it's just been me, dad and Derek for as long as I can remember." Simon said.

Haven smiled then, and I could tell she was relieved. "Looks like I fell in with the right crowd." She looked out the window briefly and I saw a quickly-concealed sad expression in the reflection.

"Absolutely." Simon said so fervently that my eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"We're here." Chloe announced, letting the driver open the door for us and thanking him.

I'd never liked much attention, especially from humans but I couldn't help feeling a little smug as the four of us walked up the mock-red carpet, the handful of students outside staring at us. The smug feeling took a backseat to the discomfort as we walked into the real dance in the gym and everyone near the door stopped and stared. I didn't see why it was such a big deal but people were gawking and whispering, mostly about Simon, but more than a few about Chloe and me.

_Ooh look at Simon Bae! He looks so hot! _

_Woah and I thought Simon was cute normally, he could model that suit._

_Look at the guy with Chloe Saunders, that must be her boyfriend, he was with her at the show too._

_Ohmygod; are Simon Bae and Haven Smith DATING? Why'd he pick **her**?_

_*gasp* Vanessa was right! Chloe's boyfriend is kind of sexy… a big guy with hands like that…_

I tuned them out. It wasn't easy to do with superhuman hearing but I managed to ignore most of the whispers, doing the werewolf equivalent of sticking my fingers in my ears and going "LALALA" by listening to Chloe's heartbeat as we found a table as far away from the dance floor as we could.

"Phew. Talk about walking the gauntlet!" Chloe dramatically wiped imaginary sweat from her brow.

"_I so did not want to deal with THAT part of high school again._" Haven muttered but only I heard her over the music. "Any chance I can wrangle you for a few dances before I have to get my equipment set up?" She asked Simon more audibly.

He shrugged and smiled. "Sure, why not."

I watched them cross the room, still not fully comfortable with Haven being alone with Simon but finding no good excuse to keep them where I could watch them.

"Okay Fido, spill." Chloe glared up at me. "Why are you trying to x-ray my friend?"

"I am _not_-" I started but she held up a hand, cutting me off and I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "She's a supernatural." I said, leaning down to her ear and getting momentarily distracted as her hair swung forward and I was hit with a wave of her strawberry scent.

"Say _what_?" Chloe looked surprised for only a second before looking concerned. "I trust her but… do you know what kind? Do you think Simon's safe with her? … Stupid question, you wouldn't have let them go if you didn't."

I brushed her cheek with the back of my fingers, giving her a half-smile when she leaned into my hand. "I don't think she wants to hurt Simon, and I don't know what kind of supernatural she is, half-demon's kid maybe."

She nodded slowly. "And she did say she grew up in the foster system. Do you think she knows?"

I shrugged, not liking the uncertainty of the situation. "Only one way to find out and if she doesn't have any supernatural qualities she'll think we're crazy or joking."

"Suck." Chloe slumped back in her chair, still frowning. "So you think it's weird that another supernatural just happened to make friends with me?"

I shrugged again. "Maybe. It might be coincidence or she may be drawn to you on some subconscious level."

She tapped her fingers against the table, deep in thought. I scanned the room, checking for Simon. He was on the dance floor with Haven, a surprised expression on his face and, as usual, completely unaware that all the nearby dancers were girls. After watching him for a minute I realized what he was so impressed with. Haven could dance.

Unlike the girls around her who were gyrating and shaking their genitals in every male direction, Haven was moving with the music, fluid and comfortable in her own skin, a quality that I never saw in high school girls. With the exception of Chloe who was comfortable in her skin and every move she made was graceful and sexy. But I might have been a little biased.

From across the room I could look at her as a whole and figured out one of the things that was bothering me.

"She's older than us." I said absent-mindedly to Chloe.

"What?"

"Watch her move, she's completely past puberty and adjusted to her body. Her posture is more mature, like she hasn't been slouching in awhile." I narrowed my eyes, trying to explain the things that tipped me off. "Her eyes are older too."

Chloe fixed her eyes on Haven but just shrugged. "I'll have to take your word for that, she moves differently but that's the only real difference I see. What are you thinking, she's like nineteen?"

I looked at Chloe and shook my head. "At least twenty-two, maybe as old as twenty-four."

"What on earth is she doing here then?" Chloe asked the million-dollar question.

We both looked across the room and shot to our feet at the same moment.

Simon and Haven had disappeared.


	7. Chapter 7

**This is how much I love you (or how guilty I feel about disappearing!), two updates in two days! And another one will be tomorrow.**

* * *

I couldn't remember the last time I'd danced. Long enough to forget that it could be fun.

When Haven first invited me with her I'd been nervous, worried that I'd forgotten how or that she'd have some dancing style that I couldn't match, like the tango or that Slavic dance with the kicking leg thing… Kozachsomething. I'd balked and almost run back to the table twice before Haven pulled me in front of her and started moving.

It was as easy as talking to her had been, I was uncertain at first but as soon as I tried it I felt like we'd been dance partners for years. She danced easily and made it just as easy for me to match her. It was so natural that when I looked up and saw that we were almost completely surrounded by girls I was surprised by how jerky and juvenile their movements seemed.

The only odd thing was that Haven kept looking around us like something was bothering her. I was getting ready to ask her about what was going on when without warning she froze and I followed her gaze to the guys locker room where the door was swinging shut.

"Hey I've got to duck out real quick." She smiled and there was an unease there that hadn't been there before.

I walked with her off the dance floor and followed to the guys locker room where she stopped and turned, frowning up at me.

"What's the deal?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Deal?" She asked, eyes wide with innocence.

Fortunately I'd had a lot of practice with Chloe and was immune to Bambi eyes.

"Why exactly are you going into the guys locker room? And why do you look different? And why do you keep scoping out the place like a cop?"

Her eyes widened in surprise.

I gave her an exasperated look. "Yes boys can be observant too."

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, a familiar gesture that on Derek meant he was deliberating and frustrated. A shout from inside the locker room made both of us freeze.

"Stay here." She snapped, her tone and intonation commanding, like she was used to people doing what she told them, and slipped inside.

I counted to two and a half and followed.

"I can't keep doing this!" Someone was saying angrily. "It's dangerous and wrong and I don't care if you do show the pictures to my wife." It was a middle-aged man, cornered by a group of guys from my class in the showers.

I looked around for Haven but she had disappeared, leaving me standing in a locker room with only a partial wall blocking me from the three thugs.

"Shit." I muttered.

Haven appeared around the opposite corner, saw me and mouthed a curse.

"Kids are getting _hurt_." The man's voice took on a pleading edge.

Haven slipped along the wall until she got to me, then slid over my body like a human shield, pressing me into the wall. It was something that Derek had done a few times but when Derek did it it didn't make my cheeks feel nearly as warm like they did now. I shook it off. Considering that I had at least half a foot of height on her I tried to move _her_ behind me while getting a knock-back spell ready, but an icy reduce-to-ash-now glare froze me in place as securely as a binding spell.

"-And you are going to get hurt if you don't give us those prescriptions."

"Yeah my ADD is _killing_ me." One of the thugs laughed. "Looks like I need some Aderal."

"And Strattera, Concerta and Vyvanse. Also Ritalin just to make sure." The first said back.

Haven pulled a slim cell phone out of… honestly I don't know where—and pressed a number, then pushed me towards the exit.

I got ready to protest but when someone picked up on the other line I knew I had to leave to talk without giving us away and with a scowl that I'd learned from Derek, I silently went outside.

"Haven? _Haven_?" Someone was saying on the other line.

"Sorry Haven's busy at the moment playing secret agent. I'm Simon Bae and I'd like to know what the hell is going on NOW."

"_Shit..._ _Where. Is. She._" The guy on the other line sounded super worried and I hesitated.

"She's… She's in the guy's locker room with three thugs and some other guy."

"_Damnit._ I'm sending one of our other agents in. Just stay where you are, she'll find you."

The line went dead.

_Seriously?_ I stared at the phone, tempted to redial.

"Simon!" Derek's voice made me look up. "What the hell?"

"So Haven's some kind of secret agent and she's about to take out three guys from our school and I just somehow called for back-up and they're sending another person in to help her." The explanation flew out of my mouth in record time.

They stopped and stared.

"Simon! Shit! All of you are here? What the fuck?" A familiar voice called and I froze and turned slowly.

Savannah Levine was running up to us, miraculously unnoticed by most of the crowd, at least most of the female population.

We all stared at her.

"_Damnit._ Is she still in there?" She didn't wait for an answer, just went into the locker room without acknowledging my existence further.

"Well. This is interesting." Chloe said with a weak smile my way.

"_What. The. Fuck._" I responded.

We stood outside the guy's locker room feeling like idiots for what felt like forever before Haven opened the door.

"You can come in now." She slanted a sideways look at me. "Sorry about all this."

We filed in and she locked the door behind us. I looked into the shower area and tried not to drop my jaw. All three thugs were subdued, one unconscious, the other two conscious but with a bleeding nose on one and a pants-shitting expression on the other. All three were on the floor with their hands tied behind their backs with plastic bands. The guy who had been cornered sat on a bench, looking both relieved and terrified.

Savannah and Haven were arguing on the opposite side of the room, out of hearing range of their prisoners and the rescued guy. We walked over to them so we could hear what they were saying.

"You were supposed to wait for backup before coming in!" Savannah hissed.

"The hell would I need backup for? This was elementary stuff. They're freaking kids for christs sake!" Haven responded emphatically. "Besides. I had a sorcerer for backup. And a werewolf and necromancer backing _him_ up so I was pretty well covered!"

I stared at her. Then at Savannah, then at her again and felt a stab of hurt. Another supernatural girl had used me for her own purposes. Haven caught the look and frowned.

"Savannah… Did you not tell Mr. Bae that we were going to move on this?"

Savannah shrugged, flicking her heavy dark hair over one shoulder.

Haven stared at her openly. "You _didn't_ tell our _contact_ that we were going to do a _drug bust _at the school _WHERE HIS KIDS GO?_"

"It's his kids, not him, they shouldn't have been involved at all."

Haven threw her hands in the air, looking furious. "I am never. Ever. Working with you again."

Savannah rolled her eyes and went to open the door leading onto the football and track field, letting in a few more people, all in official-looking uniforms.

"She is the MOST stubborn. Unreliable… AGH!" Haven took a deep breath and turned to us. "Well. This is awkward."

"Who are you. What are you doing here. How do you know my dad. And how did you know about… us!" I ground out between my teeth.

"I was hired to work with your dad on his case, the interracial counsel wanted to try to stop as many repeats of Chris Blakeman as possible and your school has the highest level of illegal prescription drug trafficking in the city." She smiled suddenly. "And everyone in our world knows about you three Simon. Because of you the Edison Group has been brought to a stand-still. We'd been trying to figure out how to cripple them forever but you and your family did in a few days what we've been trying to do for years. You're pretty famous you know?"

She sighed dramatically as one of the new guys brought her a black backpack. "Oh thank God. Do you all mind if I change? I'm seriously ready to get out of this dress." When we shook our heads she unzipped her dress and started car-changing on the spot. Random bouts of nudity didn't really phase Derek as that was The Pack norm and Chloe was a girl but I felt my cheeks heat unexpectedly for the second time and looked at the floor.

"As I was saying… Ideally I'd have liked to tell you all what was going on but in our initial meeting your dad insisted that we keep contact minimum. But I didn't really expect to make friends with Chloe and I _really_ didn't expect on getting invited here with you. Things just got complicated and I couldn't talk to your dad at the senior show or reach him after to get a green light one way or the other so I just came with you, figuring that Derek's nose might come in handy if we lost our suspects."

I glanced up and, seeing her in a pair of black pants and sports bra, glanced away again quickly. But my stupid artist's eye had already gathered more information than I wanted in that one look. It really had been a long time since I'd dated. I chalked up my reaction to the fact that Haven looked so different from other girls I'd dated, usually I went for the leggy, slender type so I was just not used to her athletic and somewhat more curvy build.

"But since most everything happened so suddenly, there was no time to be like; oh hey, I'm a PI working with your dad. Now it's over and we'll check in with your dad to see how much he wants you all to know."

I looked up again and found that she was now fully dressed. "Oh. He's going to tell us everything." I said with the kind of cold vehemence that was usually only used by Derek.

Haven flinched a little at my tone. "Okay. Well I should probably head out then-"

"You're coming with us." Chloe said with less chill in her voice but the same conviction. "We want to know _everything_."

"And dad will only know about the legal side." Derek's voice was completely flat, no inflection one way or another, you'd only know he was angry if you knew to look at the set of his shoulders. "You can fill in the blanks."

She hesitated again, then nodded. "Okay."

Savannah came back to where we were standing and snorted in disbelief when she looked at Haven. "I can't believe you're still wearing that face. I don't even know why you picked it, it's boring."

Haven rolled her eyes. "This is why you fail at undercover work. You're supposed to _blend_, not stand out."

"I can _blend_ just fine thank you."

I gave her an incredulous look, of the many things Savannah Levine was, unobtrusive or innocuous was not one of them. She was tall, leggy with slender curves, dark hair, the looks of a European supermodel and self-assuredness that made her stand out anywhere. The confidence was what really had attracted me to her, she seemed like the kind of girl who got anything she wanted and I had wanted to be one of those things.

"Haven… I mean _agent Smith._ I hate to throw a wrench into everything, but you still have to DJ the second half of the party." Chloe said, glaring at Savannah's retreating back. She may be angry at Haven for lying to her but when it came down to it Savannah was still the person she disliked the most in the room.

"I gave them a CD to play if I didn't show up." Haven smiled a little sadly, looking at all of us. "As much fun as all this has been it's not where my responsibilities are."

We watched the three guys get taken away and the fourth—who turned out to be the doctor who had been writing all the prescriptions—was sent separately to be questioned.

"So… what did Savannah mean about your face?" I asked hesitantly. While most of me didn't really want to talk to her at all, there was that hurt. The fact that it had hurt meant that I actually did like her and even if it was just going to be for a few more hours, part of me didn't want to lose the first friend I'd made in a while.

Lame huh?

"Ah. That. I should probably… go take care of that…" She went to her backpack and pulled out an old photo, worn and smudged at the edges like it had been handled a lot.

I watched curiously as she opened a locker, sticking the photo into a corner of the mirror inside and taking a deep breath. She half-closed her eyes like she was seriously concentrating and bit her lip. It took me a second to realize what was going on, she wasn't biting her lip, she was sucking on it, and when she switched to the upper I saw that her lower lip looked fuller. I frowned when she put her fingertips over her face and started massaging in slow circles, shaping and pulling the skin and underlying flesh. I rubbed my eyes tiredly, still low on sleep.

I glanced over at Chlerek to see how they were doing. Chloe had her arm around Derek's waist and was leaning in a very familiar gesture for them, her ear pressed over his heart and her eyes closed. I felt the familiar tightening in my chest and throat, the envy of that connection.

I glanced at Savannah, trying to imagine her leaning on me like that. She was beautiful, powerful and charismatic but she was also extremely independent and self-reliant to the point where she scorned even the idea having an equal partner. I, on the other hand, wanted an equal partner. The very idea that having and relying on a partner made you weak was laughable to me. No one ever considered Clay or Derek weak… of course it helped that they could rip the arms off of anyone who tried.

A light touch on my shoulder pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned to see a striking girl looking up at me and I don't know if it was being caught up in the thoughts of wanting a partner or just general loneliness but I felt something, like my breath catching but without air.

"Hi there, wh-" I blinked, recognizing the unusual light color of her eyes. "… _Haven?_"


	8. Chapter 8

**For your patience my darlings I give you... a Chloe's POV chapter with fluff! Woo!**

**

* * *

**

Simon, Derek and I stared at Haven. Her entire face had changed, there was still the hint of a dimple but otherwise her mouth was completely different. Her face structure without the roundness of her cheeks and chin her cheekbones was high and even her eyes were shaped differently, heavy-lidded but almost cat-like.

"I uh… I used to look mostly the way I just did… in middle and high school." She flushed and rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably like it was sore.

"Say _what?_" I stared openly. "What the…? How…? Huh?"

Savannah walked over to us with a smirk. "Meet our best undercover agent."

A loud crack made us jump and I looked back to Haven who was wincing and rolling her neck and shoulders, then straightened seeming a few inches taller. And here I was so excited about having a friend close to my height.

"_What_ are you?" Simon asked, with no traces of disgust just complete bewilderment.

"A shape shifter." She picked up her bag, carefully tucking away a picture. "Can we go?"

"Like… a werewolf?" I looked at Derek with a frown but he shook his head. "Half-demon shape shifter?"

"New species." He said softly. "Rare. Really rare."

"Yup. Only other shifter still alive is a psychopathic murderer in the Cortez's custody." Savannah added cheerfully. "Bringing the grand total up to four that we know of, but hey, you're only the second generation… you know, it would be really hard to find other shifters, since you never look the same and all."

"Yup. The wonderful thing about Tiggers." Haven smiled but there was a definite spark of anger when she looked at Savannah. "Maybe someday we can compare ancestry, see who's got more bad apples in their family tree."

I tried to squelch the annoyance I felt with Savannah for being callous, reminding myself sternly that Haven was not my friend, just some agent using me when it suited her needs. Still, I couldn't seem to forget the fact that she had helped me with my senior project without asking anything in return. And I couldn't help but notice that she gave Simon a shuttered but regretful look, like she didn't like the way things had gone.

Savannah saw the look too and her mouth curved in what could generously be called a smile. A really scary calculating smile. I didn't think that Savannah was evil, but she did seem to act purely on impulse with very little interest or concern to the consequences of her actions.

"We're clear to leave." Haven waved at a guy who had ducked in to catch her attention and we all filed out the back door.

"So. Simon, are you going to come up to Stonehaven this summer?" Savannah asked casually. "I'll be there for a week in July, studying with Jeremy."

I shot a look at Simon but Derek scooped me around to his other side effortlessly, separating me from the others. When I glared at him he shook his head subtly and tilted a nod at Simon. I looked again, this time without the unchecked urge to protect and saw Simon giving her his token grin. I felt a self-satisfied smirk myself when I saw that it was the smile he'd developed over the past year, guarded and not touching his eyes.

"You know. I _am_ planning to go to Stonehaven this summer since my brother is… you know, the Alpha's son. Thanks for letting me know when you'll be there though, now I know when to plan my visit to the California School of Arts."

Haven choked back a laugh and I noticed her veering away from us.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" I asked sharply.

"I left my car here earlier, I wasn't sure when everything was going to go down so…"

"We're coming with you." I said adamantly.

"I have room for one more on my bike." Savannah offered with a trace of smile still curving her lips.

I felt a surge of Derek's power, anger, white-hot. I hadn't realized how much he didn't like Savannah either. With his power came a wave of that mixed energy, where his and mine were completely and irrevocably tangled and I felt his anger like it was my own. I took a few shaky breaths, trying to reign in the lycanthropic instincts. "Simon. Get in the car. Savannah… just fuck off okay?"

Lycanthropic power: 1, Chloe: 0.

Haven unlocked the doors to a Toyota corolla and Savannah kicked her bike into gear and waved, completely unperturbed.

"Shotgun!" Derek said when she'd left, faltering as I glared at him. "You're not going to make me origami myself into the backseat are you?"

I glared some more.

He sighed.

We got in the car and I waited until Derek was in, making sure he wasn't going to make a break for the front seat. Then I climbed in after him, curling into his side. Despite everything I still felt the familiar thrill at touching him. I traced a hand over his stomach, slipping fingers in between the buttons of his shirt so I could feel his skin.

I felt a lick of his power again, not angry this time but still like a heat wave across my skin. While his body stayed a few degrees warm—I blame the fur coat—mine was always just a few degrees cool, probably something to do with my power having to do with dead things and ghosts and stuff.

It had been almost a week since I slept with his bare skin against mine—as the night before he'd kept a blanket as a barrier, not trusting yours truly to keep her mitts to herself—and I desperately missed the contact. I moved slightly so I'd be blocking the view of anyone who looked back from the front seat and unfastened a button in the middle of his shirt.

He caught my hand and I met his eyes, letting him see how much I missed touching him, how I missed running my hands along his body, and how little last night had done to ease that longing. If anything it had made it worse. His eyes burned the way they did when he was close to changing but I knew from experience that it just meant his body was very VERY stressed, and that only happened when he needed something. It could be the need to change or it could be this need, the aching desire to be as close to me as possible. I knew how it felt because I felt it too, like I'd die if I went another second without touching him.

He let go of my hand.

I slid it into the gap I'd made in his shirt, tracing my nails down the cut of his stomach muscles, then across his body until I found the line of his hip and ran my fingers along it, dipping just a fingertip into the top of his pants, only far enough to feel the material of his boxer-briefs (my choice, I like them so much better than boxers) but it was enough. I could feel the rapid rise and fall of his breathing as he struggled to appear like he was listening to Simon and Haven's conversation while actually trying to keep his mate from ripping his clothes off.

He pulled my hand out of his shirt and I dug my nails into his side, raking him gently as he disengaged me. That earned me a scowl, the effect of which was lessened by that burning desire in his eyes. I smiled slowly, feeling powerful and sexy and wicked all at the same time. He narrowed his eyes and I knew the tables were about to turn.

"Wait a minute, if you can look like anybody… how old are you exactly?" I heard Simon ask and changed my focus, curious despite myself.

Derek took full advantage of my distraction, snaking one arm behind my back, fingers stroking down my side and sliding his other hand up my thigh.

"I turned twenty-two in April." She glanced in the rearview mirror. "Christ you two, would you keep it above the waist?"

We jumped guiltily and Derek dropped his explorative hand but kept the other around my waist. I looked at the mirror suspiciously.

"Hey… wait a minute, you can't see-"

"Nope, but I figured." She grinned and I stuck my tongue out at her.

"You were probably right, it's like they're magnetized." Simon griped. "Worse than a thirteen year old boy with his first porno mag."

"Speaking from experience are we?" Haven grinned at him, sliding so naturally back into the persona of the friend I'd made that I couldn't help but wonder if that really was her personality, not just an agent doing her job.

Simon sighed dreamily. "Ah _Jugs_… how I miss thee."

Haven laughed. It was amazing how different she looked, I guess that kind of came with the territory of being a shape shifter… you know, shifting shape and all.

I looked at Derek to catch him sniff and frown, giving me a thorough once-over. "Who's bleeding?"

"I'm good. I'm assuming Chloe's good since you're not throwing a hissy fit. That leaves you." Simon looked at Haven. "Are you all right?"

"Oh yeah, no big, just need to swap some bandages when we get to somewhere with a bathroom." She glanced around at us, everyone giving her narrow-eyed assessing looks. "… What?"

"People in our family don't really get minor injuries." I said, checking her for any missing limbs.

"Seriously, it's just a small cut. Probably won't even need stitches." She sighed when we didn't look convinced. "It was a silly amateur mistake, one of those idiots knocked one of my knives out of my hands and while I handled his buddies and got in a side-swipe. I got lucky, barely a nick."

"Sounds like you got really lucky." Derek commented idly while squeezing me with one arm, knowing my history with knives. And guns. And claws. And flying shrapnel. Hell there wasn't much that _hadn't_ scarred me.

"So what do you really look like? I mean like your true face?" I asked to change the subject.

She shrugged. "There's only so much I can change, and growing up I didn't know what I was so when I broke my nose or fell flat on my face…"

"It stuck." Derek supplied, getting interested now.

"Yup. No one could figure out why my flesh would stay that way and after awhile I started looking a little like Frankenstein."

"That must have been so scary." I said.

She shrugged again. "As shitty as it is, sometimes it's an advantage to not be pretty in the foster system. I got lucky and got a scholarship to California State and in my first year I sort of figured out what I am."

"How'd you figure it out?" I asked, lacing my fingers with Derek's.

"I majored in ceramics and sculpture." She grinned and Simon laughed. "So I got pretty good at shaping new faces."

"So why this face? You said that the other was based generally on what you looked like in school." Derek looked at her reflection in the mirror. "Surely you have a control, one basic shape."

"The picture." Simon said suddenly. "Is that what you use?"

She hesitated, then nodded. "I'd go crazy without something to remind me, this is the closest thing I have to a 'true' face." The last was directed at me.

We pulled up to the house and when we walked in Kit appeared in the hall quickly, looking worried.

"You haven't been gone _that_ long, did something happen?"

Haven waved. "Hi Mr. Bae."

He stopped, frowning like he recognized her voice or her face but not both together.

"You have some explaining to do." Simon glared at Kit and he winced, looking like he was mentally running through things he could be in trouble for.

"Kit, this is Haven Smith." I introduced shortly, watching for his reaction.

"Oh! … Ohhh…" Kit looked between all of us, settling on Haven. "You're in charge of the on-location investigation at the school right? Do you need a way to get in or something?"

"Ah. Well… you see… Savannah Levine was put in charge of getting in touch with you about a month ago…"

"A month…?" He trailed off, giving her a sharp look. "Meaning what exactly?"

"We just busted three dealers and their main supplier about twenty minutes ago."

"Oh." He looked taken-aback. "Well… why don't you come in and catch me up."

"I'm going to go change into something less girly." I announced. "Don't go over anything I haven't heard yet!"

"Wait… I don't have to wear the suit anymore?" When I shook my head Derek beat me up the stairs, taking the steps three at a time.

I laughed and followed as Simon, Kit and Haven walked to the kitchen. I made it to the top of the stairs before I was swept up and pinned to the wall outside my bedroom. Derek's mouth met mine and I wrapped my legs around his waist, grabbing his coat and pulling him as hard as I could into the kiss, hard enough to feel his teeth and I ran my tongue over his sharper canines, eliciting a groan from him that made every inch of me tingle.

"This… is… a really… really… bad idea." He murmured against me, punctuating the words with hard kisses that started with a bite on my earlobe and ended at the base of my throat.

"Agreed." I jerked his face back up to meet mine and kissed him deeply as soon as I could reach his mouth. "But don't ever stop." I pulled back long enough to actually look at him, breath ragged and lips still parted and waiting to fit perfectly against my own again.

He shook his head sharply, trying to focus and looked down so I couldn't capture his mouth again. It took him a moment to realize that down was where my breasts lived and even though they weren't by any means big they _were_ pressed in between our bodies with the only route of escape being the top of my dress.

He stared, frozen in place, then slowly raised his eyes to mine and I knew he was a goner.

"Derek… honey… remember how this is a bad idea?" I gasped as he lifted me higher on the wall, holding me there so he could move his mouth lower.

"Don't care." The words were a growl that never failed to turn me into jello… okay, maybe jello with like twenty gazillion nerves that all happened to be on fire at that particular moment.

"_Derek._" I tried to snap at him to get his attention but he chose that moment to brush his fingers up the back of my neck, tangling his hand in my hair and pulling my head back to expose my whole throat, and his name came out as a moan that didn't help the situation at all. "O-oh Christ, c-crackers!" I managed to gasp the safety word even as his fingers found the zipper on my dress.

That stopped him for just long enough to remember that we were supposed to be downstairs finding out why his dad had hired a shape shifter without telling any of us. I wriggled to get down and he stilled my hips with his hands, shaking his head slowly.

"Do. Not. Move." He managed to get the words out even if they were barely distinguishable from a growl.

I stayed still until I felt him start breathing again.

"You got it?" I whispered, my own vocal chords still more interested in moaning than talking.

He nodded and let me slide down, backing up so I wouldn't rub against every inch of him on my way down, which would have been kinda counter-productive. He moved a hand over his mouth and nose and I knew from experience that his control was at the breaking point if he had to stop himself from smelling me.

I slipped into my room and shut the door, falling against it with a frustrated sigh, one that Derek no doubt seconded a hundred times over. I felt him lean against the other side of the door, could picture him trying to explain to the half of him ruled by instinct and primal urges that there was a time and a place for those urges and now was _not_ that time.

I smothered a laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. The person I was bonded to for life, essentially my soul mate, was separated from me through a door because neither of us could keep ourselves in check for twenty seconds.

"I don't see what's funny about this." Derek's deep voice came through the door.

"It's either laugh or scream in frustration sweetheart." I responded and pushed away from the door with a sigh, unzipping my dress and letting it drop to the floor.

I heard a muffled oath and knew that Derek could hear me undressing. While part of me wanted to drag it out and tease him further the part of me that wasn't a bitch knew that that was not one of my more brilliant plans.

I considered my shoes for a second, they were strappy and had taken me like ten minutes to put on and I decided that getting different clothes took priority. I pulled on one of Derek's shirts and carefully slipped on sweatpants over the shoes, tying and double-knotting the drawstring before telling Derek I was decent.

I was sitting on the bed, one foot perched on the edge with the leg of my pants pushed up over my knee so I could unlace the darn rubiks cube heels when he opened the door, having changed into jeans and a t-shirt, he took one look at me and shut it again with more curses.

"Why the hell didn't you take those off first?" He said when he got his language PG.

I stared at the door. "I didn't think they were the main cause of the problem. Also they take a freakin rocket scientist to get on and off so it's going to take me a minute."

"Goddamnit. I'm taking a really _really _cold shower. You can tell the others I'll be down in a minute." He stomped huffily down the hall.

I stared at the door for a few more seconds, then dissolved into helpless giggles.


	9. Chapter 9

**Here's a surprise POV! Enjoy!**

* * *

I looked at myself in the mirror, feeling the now familiar tingle of unease. I'd stayed in that face too long, got too used to it, now my "normal" face felt strange and unfamiliar. I touched my mouth hesitantly, not sure if I'd gotten it right. The picture of my mother was still in my backpack, it was the only one I had of her; smiling at the camera, a single dimple on her cheek. The dimple was one of the few things I couldn't change no matter how I morphed my face and I liked that. I liked having a few constants, my hair, my skin, my eyes and that one genetic quirk.

I sighed and made a few expressions at the me in the mirror, trying to get used to my usual face again. I knew that I should have ended this investigation a week ago but I'd liked Chloe and I didn't want to let her down but skipping out before her project was done.

I tried to shake the feeling off, reminding myself that I hadn't made any friends, that I just had used some people to get the job done, but that didn't explain the weight in my heart. Chloe and Simon were sweet, hell even the werewolf had his moments, and I had really been tempted to pretend to be that high-school version of Haven Smith forever.

_Just do your job._ I thought, trying to find that center core of strength that kept me going.

A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Haven? Do you need any help with that cut?" Simon; genuine worry coloring his baritone voice. Not as deep and husky as his brother's but nice, a tone that was easy to listen to, one that would probably get even deeper over the next few years. "I'm coming in."

He opened the unlocked door and I schooled my expression into a comfortable smile. "Hey. I was just about to run screaming for a nurse."

"Well very few people are privy to this knowledge but I actually have a medical degree as well as being a sorcerer and artist."

"Is that so? Cured AIDS yet doc?"

"Just last Tuesday as a matter of fact." He smiled and I cursed the high school girl in me that might have gone a little weak in the knees. "Uh… where exactly is this alleged cut?"

"Alleged?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Hey even Derek's nose has its down days." He frowned off into space. "I remember this one time when he was eight…"

I snorted a laugh and tied up my shirt before I unbuttoned my jeans.

"Uhmm… I know girls can't resist taking their clothes off around me but…"

I rolled my eyes. "Please, that'd be like statutory rape."

"What? I'm eighteen! Totally legal!"

I raised an eyebrow at that. "In what state?"

"All of them!"

I smiled in spite of myself, so much for that determination to not get attached to any of these guys. "It's just below the hem, I think I can take care of it myself…"

He took one look at the cut awkwardly located at the back of my hip. "Pssh. Please. You'd have to bend over backwards and twist like a pretzel and nobody wants to see that." He grinned until I peeled the temporary bandage I'd slapped on earlier off. "Jeez! What kind of knife did you have? A machete?" He looked at me suspiciously. "And where were you keeping this knife exactly? And the cell phone, I want to know where the cell phone came from."

"I'll tell you once I have my pants back on, let's deal with one thing at a time shall we?"

He actually blushed lightly and I had to bite back another smile. "Righto, what do you need me to do?"

I took out an antiseptic towel and wiped away what blood the original bandage hadn't absorbed. "Just check for anything that looks like it shouldn't be embedded in a hip."

He raised an eyebrow at that and kneeled to get a closer look.

_He's eighteen, just a kid, he's eighteen, just a kid…_ I had to chant in my head. But Simon wasn't just a kid. I tried to blame it on being completely immersed in high school culture again, that the sixteen year old girl in me was just feeling light-headed because _Simon Bae_ the _hottest_ guy in school happened to be touching me.

It wasn't just that though. There was something else to Simon, and it wasn't just the dark exotic slant of his eyes or his perfectly balanced elegant/masculine bone structure. He was a genuinely sweet guy, despite being stalked by hordes of girls. He had a good heart and a sense of humor, even without the looks he'd be the kind of guy I would give an arm and a leg for.

I'd almost blown my cover in a moment of vanity at the restaurant, I'd wanted to be prettier, to not embarrass him when we went into the dance and had altered my lips and smoothed some of the baby-fat from my cheeks. It was stupid and vain and didn't really accomplish anything in the end. That other look though… the one he gave me after I'd switched back to my basic face… that might have made me blush a little, which was ridiculous, no eighteen year old boy should be making _me_ blush.

_He's eighteen just a kid…_ but my brain traitorously whispered "_a legal kid._" I mentally kicked myself _Jesus Haven get a grip! You're twenty-two now start acting like it!_

"I think we should rinse it out just in case." Simon was saying, oblivious to my lecherous thoughts.

"Okay boss." I looked at the sink, there was no way I was going to fit in that, then at the shower behind me, complete with detachable shower head. "That'll work."

He followed my gaze, then tilted his head slightly as if trying to figure out how exactly this was going to work. I mentally calculated the distances and nodded shortly to myself.

"I'm going to need you to hold the shower head okay? I don't have enough hands for this." I smiled reassuringly and turned on the water, then handed the nozzle to him.

I looked at the small outcropping that could generously be called a shower bench and put my hands on it, facing up, then stepped my feet up onto the counter so I was as parallel to the floor as I was going to get. Once adjusted I turned to him and laughed, he was staring at me, completely bewildered.

"Earth to Simon, can't hold myself up here forever." I shook my head with a smile as he snapped out of it and leaned over me, carefully rinsing my side down and almost hiding another blush.

He'd taken off his suit jacket as soon as we'd gotten home but still wore the shirt and pants, both which looked and fitted expensively.

_!_ I looked up at the ceiling, praying this would be over soon and trying to ignore a small part of me almost hoping that it wouldn't. _EIGHTEEN YOU IDIOT!_

"You know, I finished a little while back and now I'm just waiting to see how long you can hold yourself up there." Simon's amused voice brought me back to the present and I realized he was just idly keeping the shower spray on me.

"Very funny. Off."

He laughed and turned off the water, handing me a towel when I stepped down. "So I take it you work out?"

I rolled my eyes and dried off, twisting to see my hip in the mirror. Simon caught my shoulders mid-turn.

"Stop twisting around, you're just making yourself bleed more." He sighed exasperatedly and kneeled again, smoothing on antibiotic ointment with surprisingly gentle fingers and a new bandage. "Good as new!"

I stretched, testing my movement. "Not bad Dr. Bae."

"It was a lot easier than I thought it'd be." He waited until I'd eased my pants back up over the bandaged, untied my shirt and pulled it down. "So. Cell phone and knife."

"Ah right, nothing can deter you I see." I slid my fingers into the outside hem of my pants which had a two-inch hidden slit and pulled out a very flat blade the length of my hand. "It was just strapped to my thigh under the dress."

"That. Is pretty hot." Simon raised an eyebrow. "But the phone?"

I rolled my eyes. "Come on Simon, same place that every girl hides small objects." I snapped my bra strap for better illustration.

"If onl-" He broke off as when he opened the door the other three inhabitants of the house tumbled into the bathroom. "What the hell?"

"We weren't eavesdropping!" Chloe said quickly.

"That door needs a hinge changed." Derek commented casually.

"What's taking so long for you to make a move?" Kit asked. "You can't be _that_ out of practice."

The others glared at him.

"What? I thought 'playing doctor' was a good strategy!"

"Well I can honestly say this is a first for me." I leaned back against the counter, trying to look completely at ease despite the near-heart attack I'd had when they fell in. "You sure know how to show a girl a good time."

Simon glared at his family. "I'd love to say your heart's are in the right place but honestly I think you're just trying to spite me."

"Well duh. We're family." Chloe turned to me, brow furrowing with worry. "Are you okay?"

"Are you asking if my injury's okay or if Simon molested me?" I grinned as Simon stormed off down the hall, muttering about what jackasses we all were.

As I was putting my belt back on I heard the door shut with a quiet click and jumped when I saw Chloe in the mirror's reflection.

She smiled. "Usually _I'm_ the jumpy one."

"Generally I'm not, but the past few weeks have been anything but usual." She fidgeted for a second in the mirror and I turned to face her. "Something bothering you?"

"I… Uh…" She fidgeted a few more times, biting her lip. "This is awkward. Okay, uh, I know that you're just an agent or PI or whatever but… I was wondering if you'd… keepintouchwithSimon." She said the last in a rush and it took me a second to decipher it.

When I did I stared at her. "Come again?"

She lowered her voice and stepped closer, eyes shunting to the door for a second. "Simon. He's been… off for the past year. I thought that he needed a girlfriend or something but you really made him smile and laugh tonight and I'd really appreciate if you kept in touch."

"Er… Chloe, I don't know if you remember me saying this, but I'm twenty-two-"

"And Savannah's twenty-one." She interrupted. "And she really screwed him over… and so did I. I think it's hard for him-"

A rap at the door made her break off, she gave me one last pleading look and opened it.

"We all need to talk to her." It was Derek, speaking softly and looking at her in a way that made _my_ throat constrict. It was intense to say the least, his super green eyes and her unusual gray ones locked, I couldn't imagine what it was like for Simon to live with that every day. Derek's inhuman eyes shifted from Chloe to me. "Please. Keep in mind what she said."

With that they left, leaving me dumbfounded. Watching the two of them I could see why anyone would feel that something in their life was missing. But I still thought it was kind of ridiculous that they were worried about Simon, he was talented and popular with a bright future ahead of him, he'd be fine.

I went into the kitchen where they all were gathered and Kit hopped out of his seat with a smile. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"What do you have?" I settled into the only empty barstool, on the end with the brothers on either side and slipped off my shoes out of habit.

"Well let's see… There's soda, milk, and… well if you're interested…" He gave me an exaggerated conspiratorial look. "I was going to open a bottle of wine in celebration of our seniors."

"Oh heavens to Betsy!" I smiled. "I suppose if you were going to open a bottle anyway…"

"Is red all right?" He stretched for a bottle from the wine rack on top of the cabinets but couldn't quite reach the one he wanted. A sigh and a mournful sideways look at Derek and me and Chloe giggled as he got up and pulled the bottle without even trying. "Dare you should be shorter; it defeats the purpose of having alcohol out of your kid's reach when you can reach everything."

I smiled, I couldn't help it, they were all so ridiculous and perfectly in sync with each other. Kit opened the bottle and dumped it all in a decanter. I felt my jaw drop. "Ah… I hope everyone's having a glass or you've got a spare couch because I can't drink all that."

"Better than a couch, we've got a whole guest house that you can share with our delightful Victoria!"

"Actually dad, Tori's staying at Michael's tonight." Simon said but gave the decanter a look of trepidation.

"Perfect! Dare! Get down another bottle!"

We all protested that idea adamantly.

"Okay so before you get plastered, explain everything." Chloe rested her chin on her hand and fixed me and Kit with a look.

"Not much to explain really. The interracial counsel and the Cabals coordinated to hire a team to infiltrate the schools with the highest levels of drug trafficking. It's cheaper than another case like Blakeman's." Kit pulled two glasses and poured the wine. "Miss Smith is one of the agents working undercover in the schools with prescription drugs. You'll remember Ms. Levine, she's handling the illegal drugs in schools."

I took my glass from his outstretched hand. "Yours is our third. We've been starting with schools that we're sure have supernaturals registered."

"It's only you two?" Simon asked skeptically.

"Don't you remember all those fancy looking guys who came and helped us out?" I sipped the wine, breathing in satisfactorily. "We've got a whole bunch of people helping us out, but there's just a few of us who can work undercover in a high school."

"Huh." Simon contemplated me seriously for a moment. "So how do you do that?"

"Go undercover? I thought we already established-?"

"Nah, I meant tasting wine. Dad says you taste it by drinking, which is kind of a given and makes me think that he has no idea." This was said with an accusatory glance aimed at his father who smiled noncommittally.

I gave him a disbelieving look. "You want to know about wine, not about shape shifters and witches doing drug busts in schools?"

"I think we've pretty well covered that." He gave a dismissive wave.

"Oookay." I pushed my glass to him. "Smell it."

"That's usually Fido's department." Chloe grinned and kissed Derek on the nose while he scowled at both of them.

Simon took a deep whiff and shook his head, pushing the glass back and sneezing. I laughed and drew the stem out of his fingers.

"Okay, let's try that again shall we?" I held his face still with one hand and swirled the glass gently with the other. "Close your eyes and breathe in _gently…_ now that you're not burning out your nose with alcohol, what do you smell?"

"Uh… grapes?"

I tried not to giggle. "And…?"

"Uh…" He frowned, eyes still closed. "Wood..?"

I smiled. "Very good!"

His eyes opened, twinkling with amusement and I realized that I still had my fingertips on his jaw and was leaned forward with the wine glass, an all together too-intimate situation. I dropped my hand and flushed, turning to see everyone else at the table watching with hopeful expressions. Chloe had her hands clasped in front of her, eyes shining and looking between me and Simon. Even Kit looked smug.

I drank my wine in one gulp with a cough.

"Are you supposed to chug it next?" Derek asked with an ill-concealed smile.

"In some situations yes." I replied sagely. "What about you? I bet you can identify the bouquet from where you are puppy."

He smiled for real then. "Some dark fruit, maybe plums, vanilla, oak, faint smoke, some butter, really subtle green… like green bell peppers."

"And if your road-kill locating job ever goes downhill you have a back up as a sommelier!" Chloe squeaked as Derek tickled her. "Crackers!"

I shook my head, beyond asking questions at this point and just getting into the going-with-the-flow stage. Kit went to grab snacks from the pantry and while Chloe and Derek were still busy messing around Simon touched my hand, getting my attention.

"So what next?" He nodded at the glass.

I smiled, grateful that his father and siblings were otherwise occupied. "Well for starters we refill the glass."

He chuckled and I poured then passed the wine. "Okay, now that we have familiarized ourselves with the smells…"

"Wood?" He said with a grin.

I kicked him under the bar. "Focus grasshopper! Usually you'd swirl and smell again but I think you're just going to get more of the same."

"Yep. Definitely wood." He agreed and twisted away as I got ready to kick him again.

"Now taste it, just a little!" I sighed as Simon took the wine like a shot and made a face.

"What? That's the way you did it teach." He winked and I narrowed my eyes.

"Save your charm for the high school girls Bae."

"Ooh, is that a challenge? Are you saying that older girls are immune to my insanely charismatic… charisma?"

"Very smooth Don Juan." I shook my head ruefully. "Far be it for me, a mere mortal to imply such a thing." I looked across the counter to see, yet again, the whole family watching us with anticipation. "Oh for the love of Pete. Go watch shark week or something."

"This is waaaay more interesting." Chloe grinned and I rolled my eyes.

I realized with a start that without meaning to, in fact with meaning to _avoid_ it, I'd gotten sucked into the familial vibe. Even worse, I was letting myself drink, something I _never_ did. I pushed to my feet, slipping on my shoes. "All right kids, if you're done grilling me I think it's time for me to head home, I have a ton of paperwork to do."

All of the protests made me smile but I knew it was time to escape while my dignity was still somewhat intact and before I got too irrevocably attached to them. I made it to the front door before Chloe popped up out of nowhere, scaring the bajeezus out of me.

"_Christ!_ Taking spook lessons from spooks I see." I put my hand over my pounding heart.

She walked with me to my car and I hesitated.

"Wait a sec Chloe." I dug around in my backpack for a small jewel case and sighed with relief when I found it. I grabbed a pen and scribbled a quick note inside, then shut it and handed it to her. "Fairly third grade but… could you put that in Simon's room for me?"

She grinned triumphantly. "Falling for him are we?"

"Hardly, I just feel bad that he was so excited to hear me DJ and didn't get a chance. That's a back-up disc, I'm sure he'll share if you ask nicely." I waved and got into my car, chanting over and over as I drove away.

_Eighteen, just a kid. Eighteen, just a kid…_


	10. Chapter 10

**I think you guys are really going to flip your shit over this chapter...**

**

* * *

**

I looked up from the finals I was grading as Chloe skipped in the room with her camera bag and an afternoon snack, grinning from ear to ear.

"All right, what'd you do?" I asked suspiciously, pushing my chair back as she plopped herself down in my lap.

She kissed me, not a sweet peck on the cheek either, a real kiss and I wrapped my arms around her. Just as I was starting to get—as Chloe so eloquently phrases it—"lost," she slid a piece of paper up my chest and pulled back with her Cheshire cat smile.

"What's-?" I opened the letter and my eyes widened in shock. "You… you've been keeping secrets from me."

"Well it wasn't easy, I've had it for awhile, I was just working out the finer details." She couldn't keep the smile off her face and I couldn't resist kissing her again. When I allowed her to come up for air she nuzzled my ear, whispering; "Like finding an apartment."

I stared down at the acceptance letter from the University of Syracuse, welcoming Chloe Saunders into their Television, Radio and Film program.

"Is… is their program okay?" I asked.

She gave me a mock-scowl. "Don't give me that crap Derek Souza, I know you looked at it."

"… Maybe a little."

She hugged me and I squeezed her back tightly, she'd been dodging my questions about her college decision for several months now, getting annoyed with me for distracting her from her senior project. I felt a tightness in my chest ease as it really hit me, Chloe was going to SU with me, I wouldn't have go a single day without seeing her.

Then the second part of what she said hit and I jerked her back by her shoulders. "Wait. Apartment?"

Her nose crinkled this time when she smiled, the way it did when she was really happy. "Well… I explained your medical condition to the housing lady…"

"… My _what_?"

"You know, the whole turning into a wolf every week and needing to go running around in the woods and stuff." She dead-panned and giggled when my eyebrows shot up. "I just mentioned that I was going to SU because a friend of mine with a B12 deficiency and an anti-social personality disorder needed someone to stay with him who was familiar with his medical history. After a little bit of coaxing she caved and gave me clearance to live off campus, even suggested a few apartment complexes."

"B12 deficiency?" I looked at Chloe, practically glowing with mischief and self-satisfaction and had to laugh. "That's pretty clever."

"It does explain the mania, psychosis, irritability and personality changes." She conceded thoughtfully.

"I don't think turning into a wolf counts as a personality change." I pulled her up into another kiss, loving the soft feel of her skin and lips belying her sharp mind. "I've been trying to get off-campus housing since getting the damn acceptance letter!"

"Well I told her that memory impairment is one of your regular symptoms and that you probably forgot to mention it since you are particularly prone to forgetting the really important details. When she still seemed hesitant I brought up the anti-social personality disorder and your history of violence without careful supervision part and she couldn't get me out of there fast enough."

"_History of violence?_" I sputtered.

She raised an eyebrow and I shut my mouth, begrudgingly acknowledging that she had a point.

"Point is, we have a place. And when you're done being indignant by the means I'll show you the end result." She waited until I rolled my eyes and sighed, taking this as a sign of surrender. "Okay! Check this out." She pulled her digital camera out of her bag and curled up in my lap again. "It's a one bedroom but it has vaulted ceilings and is on the edge of town…"

I stopped listening, it didn't matter what the apartment was like. All that mattered was that I was going to be with my mate for the next few years… my thoughts froze as I remembered that I was going to graduate before her.

"And with my senior project and my AP classes I have enough credits to give me the boost I need to graduate early, I'll just have to over credit a few semesters but that's not the end of the world." She said as if responding to my sudden flash of worry. "And if you want to it would be easy to double-major and get a head-start on the PhD programs you were looking at."

I felt the now-familiar tightening sensation in my lower stomach as I watched her talk about our future and encouraging me to pursue the academic career that I'd decided long ago took a backseat when it came to Chloe. She was more important, but the scenario she was laying out, that she had put together behind my back, made it so I wouldn't have to choose. She'd chosen for me and the choice she'd made was based on my happiness, not hers. There were better programs out there that she could not only get into easily but could also afford and she was going to Syracuse University to be with me.

I swept the papers off my work table with one motion and stood, placing her easily on the desk and pushed her shirt out of the way, arching her up with a hand behind her back so I could taste the skin on her stomach. Her initial yelp of surprise turned into a gasp as I sucked on the inner line of her hip hard enough to leave a mark. She reached up to get a handful of my shirt, jerking it over my head and tossing it to the ground with an annoyed huff, like it had personally offended her by covering me.

I hissed in a breath when her slender hands pressed against my skin, gripping my sides and pulling me urgently closer. Our mouths met with equal urgency, kissing and touching everything that—

"Chloe?" Dad's voice came up the stairs from the second landing and I froze, moving my hands slowly from Chloe's legs to the edge of the desk, ordering them to stay there.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me." I growled, debating on whether or not to pretend he didn't exist.

"Chloe you've got to be at school in ten minutes to get ready for graduation!" I heard his steps retreat down the hallway and knock on Simon's door.

"T-ten minutes is plenty of time." Chloe said breathlessly, pushing up to get her mouth on my neck.

I chuckled darkly. "Ten minutes is _not_ enough time for what I'm going to do to you." The words were an effort and came out husky and rough.

She looked up to meet my gaze and her gray eyes widened, lips parting in a silent 'oh.' I took advantage of that, pinning her against the desk with one last kiss, getting a final taste of her while my hands gripped the desk so hard I could hear the wood splintering in protest. I backed off, scooping up my shirt from the floor and backing out of reach towards the door, trying to ignore the small whimpers from Chloe while the animal in me said; "_Are you crazy? Look at her! She's beautiful! Smell her! Her scent is intoxicating and she wants you now get back over there and claim her!_"

I tried to shake it off, tried to not think about the torturous last two weeks. Chloe couldn't come with me to Stonehaven the weekend after the senior show which meant no Chloe in my bed for another three days. So basically I'd gotten the crap beaten out of me by Clay for no good reason. I had gotten in a few satisfying hits once I started channeling all that frustration into the sparring but it was becoming rapidly apparent that that wasn't enough to even partially give me the release I needed.

"Damnitdamnitdamnit!" I cursed a few more times with more imagination and went outside of my study. Shutting the door for the second time in so many days, and leaning against it while I could hear the woman I loved on the other side panting for breath.

As I started getting my clothes back in order I heard Chloe murmur softly to herself;

"_Well if Derek's not going to help me I might as well finish myself._"

My hands shook so badly that I ripped my shirt and growled for real when I heard her laughing on the other side of the door. I slammed it open, fully intent on revenge to find her fully dressed and sitting comfortably at my desk, reviewing the pictures on her camera.

"There's plenty of open area behind the apartment for you to run around in, we could even play fetch if you wanted." Her eyes danced with amusement that barely covered the same frustration I was feeling.

I tried to get my mouth to work but my jaw did not want to cooperate, it was too busy tensing and clenching furiously. I turned on my heel and retreated downstairs, determined to find some room in the house that didn't smell like Chloe.

I ended up in Simon's sunroom studio, reading _The Hot Zone_. I figured that if Ebola couldn't take my mind off of Chloe, nothing could. After close to half an hour dad poked his head through the door.

"Hey, what are you doing in here?"

"Nothing." I muttered gruffly, turning a page.

"Uh huh. Well I was just coming to see if you wanted a ride to the graduation."

I hesitated, I'd skipped my own high school graduation, it just didn't seem that important. However, the idea of missing Chloe's graduation brought images to mind of my mangled reanimated corpse, forced to be her slave forever—and not in a fun way.

I shuddered. "Yeah I'm coming."

"So." Dad started when we were in the car. "Chloe's turning eighteen soon right?"

"Mm hmm." I didn't look up from my book.

"And after today she'll be officially graduated from high school."

"Mm hmm."

"So when are you going to ask her to marry you?"

I dropped the book, fumbling when I tried to catch it and it took _a lot_ to fluster me enough to throw off my reflexes. Lucky for me, dad knew all the right buttons to push to get me flustered. "_WHAT?_"

He glanced over, eyebrows raised. "Why are you surprised Dare? Aren't you basically the werewolf equivalent of soul mates?"

I'm sure I was bright red by this point. "Uh… I guess…?"

"And because of that you're not going to cheat on Chloe or want to be with anyone else right?"

I felt an angry growl trying to escape my throat at the very idea of cheating on Chloe and swallowed hard. "No. It's permanent."

"And considering everything she's done for you in the past, I'm going to assume it goes both ways."

I shrugged, picking my book up off the car floor.

"So when are you going to propose?"

I dropped the book again. "_Damnit_. Dad. I am NOT going to be getting married any time soon." Of course the idea appealed to me, maybe a little more than I was comfortable admitting even to myself.

"Why?" He looked genuinely confused.

"Be… Because… _I'm still a teenager_. Christ, _she's_ still a teenager." I ran a hand over the back of my neck, my earlier frustration still making it hard to think clearly. "That's not really a casual thing to do."

He shrugged now. "Dare, I hate to break it to you but we're supernaturals, the rules and taboos that govern the human world don't necessarily apply to us. As far as I know the vast majority of our people already view you and Chloe as beyond married. Comparatively speaking marrying her is just a formality for appearances sake. Like Simon being diabetic; he can choose not to tell people but it doesn't change the fact that he is."

I dropped my head into my hands with an exasperated sigh. "And he chooses not to tell the vast majority of people because they'd view him differently. The same goes for us, I don't want Chloe to be labeled as the girl who got married right out of high school, that's not fair to her."

"Ah. I see. So you'd rather that the human population view her as available."

My head snapped up at that. "Of course not." It came out gruff and I had to swallow again to keep my growl in check.

"Why not ask her how she feels about it?" Dad slid me a sideways glance. "You'd be amazed at the ideas these modern women have about what designates their freedom."

I glared at him. "That's not funny."

"No. It's not. Think about it son, do you really think it's fair for you to decide what Chloe is and isn't ready for without consulting her? Talk to her about it. I'm sure she'd feel more comfortable in your relationship if she could somehow explain its depth to her human friends. Because saying you're dating, or that you're her boyfriend… it's just too light Dare." He frowned. "I'm not explaining it very well."

"You're explaining it fine. I get it." I looked away, deep in thought.

"Great! Well here you go!" He tossed a small box at me and I was preoccupied enough that I barely caught it before it hit the ground.

"What the-?" I opened the lid and let out a string of expletives that in any other circumstances I would never say in front of my dad. "_You carry this around?_"

He grinned at me. "Not usually but on special occasions where you might need it I keep it handy."

I stared down at the delicate gold ring with a single diamond chip embedded in the band. "_What. The. Fuck?_"

"That was my grandmother's engagement ring. Up till now there haven't been any potential fiancées petite enough to wear it, but I think it will fit Chloe just fine." He explained as though I hadn't said anything.

I shook my head vehemently. "Simon should have this."

Dad laughed. "You can't be serious. Simon designed the ring he'll propose with when he was eight!"

I couldn't help a small snort of laughter. It was true, I remembered when we were on vacation and saw a guy proposing on the beach. I think it was the look on that girl's face that really started Simon's love for making women smile. Afterwards he'd spent days drawing and redrawing the ring he'd use for what he considered to be a perfect moment.

"And it was Simon's idea." Dad added quietly. "He said it feels weird introducing Chloe as your girlfriend when at home she's part of the family."

I nodded slowly. "Yeah okay. I'll think about it."

"That's my assertive boy!" He clapped me on the shoulder. "Now we just have to get Simon to stop moping around and all will be right with the world."

I rolled my eyes and snapped the ring's box shut, shoving at the bottom of my pocket. I honestly didn't know if I'd bring it up to Chloe or not, I'd thought about the concept, but not really any specifics, I just thought we'd decide on it together when we were ready.

But the wolf in me was thrilled at the possibility of claiming her.

_Collaring her_. I told that part of myself sternly. _She doesn't deserve to be put on the spot like that. This is a decision we'll make together._

The wolf didn't care, all it wanted was its mate and if that meant going through some silly human ritual then no amount of rationalization on the human's part was going to stop it.


	11. Chapter 11

I bounced up and down in my seat, waiting for my name to be called so I could get the heck out of the stuffy auditorium.

_Why is 'S' so late in the alphabet?_ I slumped and glowered at the principal, sure she was speaking at half speed.

Simon had already gotten his diploma with the announcement of his full scholarship to the California School of the Arts, which he'd applied for but we hadn't heard about yet. He'd looked like he was going to pass out as he went across the stage to the sound of cheering and two ear-splitting whistles, one of which I was sure belonged to Derek, the other to some girl standing in the back.

"**Chloe Saunders**."

I practically flew to my feet and went across the stage. It was amazing how everything seemed so loud when I was waiting for my turn and now all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart. It wasn't stage fright, it was just one of those things, a pivotal moment in my life.

I smiled and accepted my diploma, barely registering the voice coming from the auditorium speakers.

**"Chloe Saunders has been recognized by the Young Artists Society for her outstanding work on the mini-documentary; _An Introduction to My Family_."**

My jaw dropped as I was handed a framed award on top of the diploma. I finished the walk to the other side of the stage where my awareness pinpointed Derek, giving me that crooked wolf's smile. He turned to point out Simon who had a camera raised and I jumped off the stage. Simon got a picture of me mid-air and Derek's spider-senses making him whip around in time to catch me.

"Do you have _any_ idea how dangero-" He started, putting me down and I just jumped up again, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him mid-lecture. "Have to… warn people… before…" He was determined to give me a full safety lecture and I was just as determined to kiss him until I passed out from oxygen deprivation. "… Really dangerous…" He finished weakly when I did stop to breathe, his eyes glazed and struggling to stay focused.

"I love you." I sighed into his shoulder.

He hesitated then wrapped his arms around me, forming my own personal werewolf shield. "Yeah?" He asked into my hair.

There was something in his tone that seemed off. Like he was holding back or hesitating about something. He sounded so young and worried that I vacated my comfy shoulder nuzzling spot to look up at him. I searched his face and found that he WAS hiding something, a subtle shift away when I held his gaze for too long.

"What's up?"

"Nothing." He smiled, pushing that strange shadow of a secret far enough back that I couldn't see it in his eyes anymore. "Come on, this is your day."

He kissed the top of my head and we moved down the to the back of the auditorium to join Kit and Simon. I backed off but was definitely going to pry later. We all snuck out, closing the auditorium doors behind us and made it through the lobby and out the main doors without being caught.

"Special delivery for a 'Madame Director' and a 'Mr. Artiste'." A rich smoky voice made us all jump. I could swear that Simon perked up a little before even turning around. There stood Haven, a grin on her 'basic' face, holding a bunch of roses and a white box. "Hi guys."

I couldn't help it, I rushed over and gave her a hug. "I'm so glad you made it!"

She laughed and handed me the roses. "I heard your award, pretty snazzy stuff and well deserved." She ceremoniously handed the box to Simon. "And for our other graduating senior."

He peeked inside and his face fell. "Cookies." He tried for excitement and failed.

Haven smiled at his reaction and hooked the collar of his shirt, tugging him down to conspiratorially whisper something in his ear. I watched Simon's expression carefully for later when Derek gave me the soundtrack to match the visuals. When she first pulled him down a very faint blush crept into his cheeks, then as she talked a gradual smile graced his mouth. It was a smile I hadn't seen for awhile, not since he'd gone on girl hiatus. The infamous 'Simon Bae panty-dropper' smile—though I was partial to a more wolfy smile myself. The funniest part about it was that he really had no idea how that smile affected the female population at large, assuming they chased him for some genetic bullshit reason that Derek had given him.

"Really?" He asked hopefully.

"You think I would lie about something like that?" Haven put her hands on her hips and gave him a look. "Jeez I'll joke around but I'm not cruel."

He laughed and turned to the rest of us. "Just so we're clear, these are mine. No touchie." The last was directed specifically at Derek.

"No touching. Got it." Derek grinned at his brother's adamant protection of his box of cookies. He turned that grin down on me and my heart flipped. My reaction must have been obvious because he smiled again, this time with a tilt to it and a wicked gleam to his eyes that made me liquefy on the spot. Forget panty-dropping, this was more like panty-incinerating. "I'll just have to keep my hands occupied, touching _other_ things." He bent and said this low against my ear—escalating from panty-incinerating to vaporizing, in fact I think my whole underwear drawer went up in flames—while the others were momentarily squabbling, Simon holding his box of cookies high out of Kit's reach.

"W-what'd she say to him?" I asked to try to get back to safer subjects while I had Derek in a convenient whispering position. "I-I mean… I can guess but, specifically."

My stutter earned me another smile but he left it at that, not having the cruel streak I seemed to get every now and then. "She said, 'Sweetheart you can eat as many of them as you want, they're one hundred percent diabetic friendly." He murmured and I looked up at him in surprise.

"Did she really call him sweetheart?" I asked under my breath.

He nodded and smiled, tilting his head their way again and I followed his gaze.

They were all bantering and teasing and Simon had Haven under his arm, keeping her away from his father who was demanding that she be shared if she could cook. Haven was protesting that she could make big batches of cookies for everyone and Simon squelched that idea, claiming that he needed a personal chef.

It was amazing that a simple pet name made him blush but he could claim ownership and talk about everything from porn magazines to his own charm without batting an eyelash. Derek was the same though, I'd seen him take down an entire squad of Edison group cronies, on more than one occasion, and be completely unconcerned. But if I ran my hand under his shirt, tracing my fingertips along his lower back like this…

Derek shot me a surprised look and looked increasingly more fidgety as I slid my hand around his hip and inched towards—

"Who wants pizza?" He asked loudly to disguise a strangled moan.

Luckily it needed to be said loudly to get the other's attention.

"How about you two go out somewhere nice to eat and we'll celebrate with Apples to Apples when you get home?" Kit suggested cheerfully, already steering Simon and Haven towards the car.

"Apples to what?" I heard Haven ask.

"Huh." I shrugged and turned to Derek who looked oddly pale, glaring after his father. "Derek?" I had to say his name twice before getting his attention, a first since he usually heard a pin drop from two stories up. "Okay spill. What's the deal."

"Is your car in it's usual spot?" He started striding towards the lot before I even really answered.

"Yeah but you seriously don't think that's going to distract me do you?" I had to practically jog to keep pace with him. "Hey. HEY." I grabbed his arm, almost getting dragged off my feet as he kept walking. "_DEREK._"

"Hmm?" He looked down at me and blinked, seeming to realize only now that I was hanging on to him for dear life. "What?"

I stared at him in disbelief. "SERIOUSLY?"

He sighed and looked around, spotting my car parked a few rows down. "Let's get out of here first."

He didn't give me time to answer, again, before he was already almost to the car and I was running to catch up. This was weird, like seriously worryingly weird. Derek wasn't usually one to ignore me when I was clearly trying to get his attention, in fact he never was. There were very few things that could have made him this distracted. If our roles had been reversed and he was the girl I would have suspected that he was pregnant.

"Where do you want to eat?" He asked, starting up the car.

"I'm not hungry Derek. Tell me what's going on."

"How about we get ice cream then?"

"DEREK." I crossed my arms, tapping my fingers impatiently.

"Okay! I'll tell you, just let's… let's get out of the school parking lot first. I promise I'll tell you." He added the last when he saw that my expression hadn't changed even slightly.

I didn't answer, just turned to face the road, ignoring Derek's sideways glances. It was the longest drive we'd ever been on, it seemed like years later that Derek parked just off a small private beach lining Lake Erie.

Without a word he opened up my door and took my hand, walking down to the water with me.

"Are you going to tell me now?" I asked flatly.

Derek stuffed his hands in his pockets and frowned into the sunset. "Dad wanted me to talk to you about something." He took a small box out of one pocket and slapped it in my hand. "You get the idea."

I looked at the box, then stared at it, then stared some more. It looked deceptively like an engagement ring's box. I opened the little hinged lid and stared even more. Inside was the most dainty ring I'd ever seen. The band was made of yellow and white gold but was so dainty you could barely tell there were two colors. A tiny chip caught the sunlight and glittered.

I sat down hard on the sand.

"Derek. Are you proposing?" I asked with astounding calm.

"I think I just did." He looked down at me. "It's not a marriage thing, I just thought… it seems like it will be easier to introduce you as my fiancé than as my girlfriend."

My heart pounded, there was a constant ringing in my ears and pretty much everything from my hairline down was in uber-tingle mode.

_Oh my fucking god. Derek just proposed._ I stared even more at the ring. Then got mad. _That's the lamest fucking proposal ever!_

With a last longing fantasy-filled moment of glittery tingly desire to slip on the beautiful ring, I snapped the box shut.

"Nope." I stood and tossed him the box.

It fell to his feet because his eyes were glued to me, jaw slack. "What."

I walked along the beach, ignoring him and simmering with anger. I felt Derek's power lash out at me like a whip and I stumbled, then spun on my heel and glared.

"Derek Christian Souza if you think that that is how you're going to propose to me you've got another thing coming. That was pathetic. I refuse for that to be the story I'm going to tell our children when they ask how you asked me to marry you." I started walking again and got about a quarter of a step before Derek caught me gently. I growled and got ready to tell him off when he pulled me right off my feet and into a kiss.

When we came up to breathe his voice was guttural with need. "Damnit woman marry me."

"Hell no." I kissed him hard, melting against his muscular body. Yeah, wouldn't mind waking up to that every morning for the rest of my life. The beauty of that was that I knew what a werewolf looked like at over sixty—Jeremy christened spring with us in a swimming hole at Stonehaven and needless to say I felt really super awkward ogling my soul mate's father.

"All right, how do YOU want me to propose?"

"That's not how it works!" I kicked my legs in a futile attempt to get down. "It's supposed to be romantic and surprising and all those fluffy adjectives!"

"You want it to be fluffy?" Derek asked incredulously.

"Well I sure as hell am not settling for 'it's not a marriage thing, I just don't want you to be my girlfriend'!"

"Fine. Marry me."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because you're not doing it right!"

He sighed exasperatedly, pushed a hand through his hair and set me on my feet, then dropped to one knee, keeping hold of one of my hands. "Chloe Saunders-"

"Nope." I jerked my hand free and stomped back towards the car.

"Chloe wait!" He caught me again and I grumbled, getting tired of being short and slow. "_WHY?_"

"Don't be an idiot Derek, you know why. It's just not right. I promise that you'll get it right one day, just not today. Or tomorrow. Or this month. Or probably this year. Just let it be." I met the green eyes I'd fallen in love with more than a year ago and smiled. "I love you."

"I guess that's the important thing." He returned my smile with one of his infamous quarter-smiles that made me feel like I'd taken fourteen shots of espresso laced with ecstasy. "I love you too little bird."

"Kiss and make up?" I went up on my tip-toes and put one hand on his chest over his heart.

"Only make up?" His smile turned to a grin and I got my make-up kiss, full and passionate and the only kiss I ever wanted.

"You know…" I wrapped my arms around his neck and brought my lips to his ear. "Make up sex is supposed to be the best kind. Maybe we should fight some more."

"Sure. Pick a topic." He said enthusiastically.

I laughed. "So, what do you want to do after some _quality_ time my dear quasi-fiancee?"

"After a LOT of quality time... we should see about getting Simon some quality time with a certain shape-shifter." He kissed my neck. "Then I drown in your scent for the next ten decades."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

_Fin._

* * *

**Last chapter, next story is a really short Simon-Haven story called Safe Haven then Snapshots 3: The End of School; where Chloe gets her masters and Derek gets his PhD's. Tell me what you want to happen IN THE REVIEWS and remember that the wedding is a separate Snapshots so that's the one thing that _won't_ happen. Also I'm planning on going up to an M rating for the next one but please let me know if you don't want that.**

**In case you were wondering, I decided that Kit's full name is Christian. Therein comes Derek's middle name.**

**I'll be updating soon!**

**XOXO**

**Azure**


End file.
